Discovery of Mt Horn
by Dixie Gal1861
Summary: An ordinary mission turns into a disaster when Zane unexpectedly confronts Morro. Wounded, terrified, and pursued, Zane flees for his life. During his run to stay alive, he somehow enters Southern tip territory, and the deadly range of Mt. Horn, Ninjago's last frontier. People in Ninjago say the valley is lifeless, but when Zane stumbles in there on his run, he gets a surprise...
1. Chapter 1: The mission

Hey guys, here's my first story! Sorry if the intro is a bit crummy, but I'll do by best! It's a story about my fan fiction, a lot of it involving Zane. This story happens at the very beginning of the ghost season. P.I.X.A.L was rebuilt, and Llyod is possessed at this time. Anyway, enjoy the story!

The full moon had already begun its ascend across the night sky when

looked up at the stars in the heavens. It was relatively bright on the deck, so only the brightest ones and only a few dim ones could be seen. Zane breathed in the cool night air. He didn't talk much as he looked up at the constellations that hung in the sky, as they had done since the beginning of time. While everyone else was eating dinner down belowdecks, Zane recollected all of his memories from his robotic life. The Bounty's alarm went off, startling Zane out of his thinking, and rushed down to meet his brothers at the control center.

By the time Zane came in, Nya was already explaining the situation. Kai was listening intently but then turned his head when Zane stepped in. "You're late. You're normally the first one here." He smirked. Zane just dismissed the comment with a quick shake of his head. " it seems that a group of ghosts are raiding a village in the forest. But why?" Nya asked. "Perhaps they're looking for people to turn into ghosts to replenish their army." Sensei Wu said. Turning to the ninja, he said "It's only a small group, but you must handle them, before any innocent villager gets hurt." The ninja nodded their understanding, and then took off. Zane had almost no information on the situation, but Cole filled him in on the way, riding their energy dragons. Soon they arrived. "Guys, we've got company." Cole said right when they were landing. Already, several ghosts were on their way to attack them. Jumping off their dragons, the ninja revealed their weapons and got into a back-to-back circle. Then Cole gave a great shout, and both ninja and ghost clashed.

Cole was fighting a ghost when suddenly two more snuck up behind and leaped on Cole's back. Cole was trying desperately to shake them of when he looked over and saw Jay in the same situation, but then he saw Jay run backwards towards the nearest tree, sandwiching the ghosts between the tree trunk and Jay's back. Cole smiled and did the same thing, temporarily stunning the ghosts long enough to slice them clean in half with his scythe. Cole smiled in satisfaction, them charged off to take on another ghost.

How do you like it so far? I know, kinda dull right now, but hang on until chapter three, and you will be rewarded. Anyway, reviews and comments welcome, and stay awesome!


	2. Chapter 2: Confrontation

**Wassuuuup guys! I'm back with chapter two! This one gets more exciting, I tell you. There's more POVs to get through, and then the moment comes that everything changes. Like always, enjoy the next chapter!**

Cole's POV

Man, it feels great to kick butt again. Now where's anot- there's one. "HEY!" I shouted, grabbing the ghost's attention. I made the hand signal which meant "come at me." The ghost gave an otherworldly battle cry as it charged at me. It tried to slash me across my torso, but I partied it with my scythe, surprised at the amount of force behind the sword. After seeing that the ghost raised its sword to try to cleave me in half. As the ghost raised his arm, it exposed his side, giving me the perfect opportunity to strike. I swung my scythe quickly, cleaving the ghost clean in half. The ghost let out a horrid shriek before dissolving into glowing, green cytoplasm. "Eww." I said as I looked around me to see if anyone needed back-up. "Jay looks a bit overpowered." I said as I ran over to Jay to help him out.

Jay's POV

Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh. Two ghosts leaping on my back like I'm some sorta mattress for them to jump on, and then a swarm of them begin to head my way. What's next, Rhe whole freaking army comes out and swarms all of us? This can't just get any worse." I hear a loud WHUMP! Next to me. "I take that back. It can." I freaked out a little until I realized it was just Cole, but I realized too late, because I had almost whacked Cole in the face with my nunchucks. Although I admit it, I wouldn't be sorry if I did hit him, he actually kinda deserves it. Especially how he took Nya from me. Oooooh yea, he deserves it. He's helping me right now though, so I'll let this one slide. We both fought some ghosts. "Thanks." I said, out of breath. Cole's eyes then became big and round, he was pointing behind me. Before he could say anything, however, I whipped around and smacked a ghost full-on in the face with my nunchucks. Then, after a few mor moments of catching our breaths, we raced off to help the others.

No ones POV

Cole and Jay raced over to Kai, who was having a pretty heated sword fight with another ghost. The ghost was striking as fast as a flick from a serpents tounge. Kai was also blocking and parrieing at that same speed, and striking whenever he saw an opening. Kai was getting tired, they saw, and more ghosts were coming from behind. Cole and Jay were fighting off the new coming ghosts. The ghost Kai was fighting made it look like he was going to strike from the left, but at the last second, with Kai's right side exposed, the ghost made a stroke. His aim was off a little, but the strike still took of a chunk of his gi and nicked some of his skin. Kai acted like he didn't even notice, although it did sting. Kai gritted his teeth as he swung his sword with all his might, knocking the sword out of surprised ghost's hands, and killing the ghost as well. Cole looked over to Zane, who was handling the ghosts over there with ease. When Zane finished, Cole said "Zane, were going to comb the rest of the village for more ghosts and to make sure everyone's safe."

Zane nodded, leaning against an ancient tree trunk to catch his breath. "It's ok brothers, I won't be going anywhere. " The others nodded, and ran off. Zane continued to recover, the fight being one that exhausted him. Then he heard or thought he heard, a rustle, coming from the dark thicket of the forest at his right. After waiting a few more minutes, and hearing nothing, Zane rested his head in his hands and nodded of to a light doze.

Zane snapped awake to a sound he heard. It was that rustle, coming from an area near the place where he first heard it. He looked around. The village was extremely quiet, and the others weren't back yet. Where are they? How long have they been gone? Zane looked around, and was beginning to look away when a small, quick movement caught his eye. He quickly looked back where he saw the movement. Zane saw a figure silhouetted against the dark shadows of the night. Then to Zane's complete horror, the figure stepped into the soft moonlight. There stood Morro, commander of the ghost army. Behind him, Zane could see the many ghost soldiers behind Morro. Instinctively, Zane drew his pair of sai. Although he was outnumbered, he mustn't back down. Seeing this action, Morro drew his own sword, a black sword with a blade that was withered, the edges sharp. There was a green mist wafting around the sword. To Morro, the ninja's puny sai wouldn't stand a chance against his sword. "You are one of the six pests that stand of my way to have all of Ninjago right in the palm of my hand. Stand aside, silly ninja, or suffer the consequences." Still, Zane held his ground. Gripping his sai rightly, he stared defiantly into Morro's ghastly eyes. "No." Zane said simply. "So be it." Morro said, and lunged and Zane.

 **Ooooh, cliffhanger! I know, I hate those too :p. How do you like it? Comment or review things that could possibly make this more exciting, I'll take it into consideration (I'll give you credit, don't worry ;)). Again, tips and advice welcome. STAY AWSOME!**


	3. Chapter 3: When disaster strikes

Hi guys! Wow 35 views?! I've only worked on this story for about two days publishing it. A BIG thanks to you guys! Heres the third chapter, so like always, enjoy! ;).

Morro tried to fake striking at Zane's left, but at the last second, went for Zane's right. But Zane saw it coming and caught the sword tip with his one of his sai and with a powerful flick of his wrist, sent Morro's sword flying away. Morro leapt, caught the sword in midair, rolled, and wheeled around. Then Morro struck out as fast as he could, and was happy to hear a surprised grunt of pain as the sword sliced through Zane's gi and biting well under his exoskeleton. Morro was even happier to see the ninja's arm squeezed against the side where the sword had cut. Zane was in a slight daze, so Morro took advantage of the Zane's distraction. Morro struck again,but Zane saw Morro tense for his next move, and raised his sai in an x, catching the blade once again. Now both were trying to push each other's blades away from each other.

Now unfortunately for Zane, he hadn't fully recovered from the previous fight, and Morro saw that when he saw Zane's knees start to buckle slightly. Morro also found it a bit easier to push Zane back. Morro began to push Zane back, also pushing the blades closer to Him as well. The struggle continued, the blades eventually moving to Zane's left side of his torso. Morro looked into Zane's eyes when he looked up, and they glared at each other. Zane's eyes were clouded with tiredness, much to Morro's delight. They were still struggling, with the ghost army watching the whole thing unfold, when things went totally wrong. The blades were still at Zane's left side when Morro's sword suddenly slipped through the the crossed sai, sending the sword plunging through Zane's left side of his torso.

Zane screamed in pain as the sword's tip traveled all the way to the point where it was showing it Zane's backside. The scream pierced the night air, echoing through the forest and rolling over the hills and faded into the dark night beyond. When Morro pulled the sword back while saying "Scream all you want ninja. Your friends will not reach you in time, I will make sure of that." Morro sent two ghosts to delay the other ninja. Morro looked back just in time to see Zane's knees gave way from underneath him. Zane crumpled to the ground. Morro smiled evilly in bitter satisfaction. Little to Morro's know, Kai, Jay, and Cole were already wrapping up their search when they heard the sound of metal on ringing metal, and then the scream that made all of their hearts plummet to the pit of they're stomachs.

Kai's POV

"Kai, go check that house over there!" Cole said. I raced off to carry out Cole's orders. "Hello?" I called as I carefully opened the door, hand on my sword handle in case if any ghost decided to jump out at me. I as my eyes adjusted to the dimness inside the house, I saw that the place was ransacked. I searched the rest of the rooms, but coming back into the living room I saw something that at the first time I completely overlooked. There, huddled in the corner, was a black figure. I reached out to touch it's shoulder. The figure who was a man, turned to face me, his eyes round with fear. "Sir, are you okay?" I asked. The man tried to speak, but the words stuttered "T-there were g-ghosts. They just rammed in the place-" he stopped. "Look, we're here to help. Do you have a family?" When I asked that, the man looked at me and spoke with renewed strength. "There's an emergency meeting place in the forest. My family could be there." The man quickly got up, but before the man could step out the door, I stopped him. "I'll go with you, just in case if we run into any ghosts." "That's fine." And with that the man led me to the forest edge where a faint foot trail began. We followed it for some time. The trail looked like it had been travelled on not too long ago. After a few more minutes of traveling through the forest, I could see a light through the thick foliage. "We're almost there." The man said. His pace quickened. Before long we emerged into a clearing. All the villagers were there, most of them holding lanterns. The man turned to thank me, but was interrupted when his family ran over to him and trapped him in a bear hug. I stepped back a few paces to let the family have their privacy. After everything was over with, the man got up to thank me, saying "we give you our greatest gratitude. If we can repay you-" I cut him off, saying that repaying was not necessary. "That's not why I became a ninja." The family and I exchanged goodbyes and I turned to head back to the village, but turned back around to the family. "Stay safe." I said. "We will. I promise." The family turned to head back to where the other villagers were holding the lanterns. I then turned back to the trail that would take me through the forest and back to my brothers.

I was walking through the forest when I heard the distant sound of clashing weapons. Jay and Cole could've found more ghosts I thought. I took off at a quick trot. Before long, I came to the forest edge. I was confused when I saw Cole and Jay not fighting, but looking for me. "WHERE WERE YOU?!" Jay shouted hotly. "I was taking a villager to an emergency meeting place to reunite him with his family, so cool off before I take your throat and squeeze it until your head grows as big a ballon and POPS!" I shouted just as loud. "Look you guys," Cole intervened before things got ugly. "Arguing isn't going to help matters. Now both of you just chill, and let's head back." Me and Jay stared at each other intensely before letting up. "Great." Cole said. "Now let's-" Cole stopped, because at that moment, they heard a blood- curdling scream that shattered the silence of the night. It wasn't other-worldly, and it wasn't a villager scream, those lanterns would ward them off. Worst of all, the scream seemed to come from the south side.

Where Zane was resting.

Cole and Jay seemed to realize that too, because their eyes grew wide with terror. Without speaking, we took off in a sprint, driven on by nothing but fear for our brother.

Cole's POV

"Look you guys," I sai, putting my arms between them before Kai burned Jay into a crisp. "Arguing isn't going to help matters." I kept my arms in between them in case if Jay decided to slap Kai or if Kai was going to punch Jay. They glared at each other for awhile before letting it go. "Great." I began. "Now let's-" I was cut off by a scream. I froze on the spot. It sure wasn't a ghost scream, but it was horrid regardless. Believe me, you'd know a ghost scream when you hear one, if you've ever heard one. The scream came from the village's south side. One word came into mind. Zane. I looked at Kai and Jay. They seemed to be thinking the exact same thing as I was. In unison, we ran to Zane's resting spot like our lives depended on it, because it did.

Jay's POV

I was itching to slap Kai! Running off like that without telling us?! Is he insane?! Helping a villager I can understand, but TELL US FIRST! When Kai said "Cool off before I take your throat and squeeze it until your head grows as big a ballon and POPS!" I was about to lunge at him until Cole intervened. Basically we got the idea that he meant knock it off or I'll thump both of you in the head. I stared angrily into Kai's eyes, Kai returning my gaze. Once we both cooled off, I heard Cole say the beginning of "Now let's go.", but a scream interrupted him. That was NOT a ghost's scream whatsoever. I thought. Then what was i- I stopped what I was thinking as I read the looks on the other guys' faces and them looking in a particular direction. Suddenly it hit me. Something must've happened to Zane! I began to freak out, and started to run when the others did. All tension and humor was replaced with a intense feeling of dread.

No ones POV

Before the ninja reached where they had last seen Zane, they could already see two ghosts racing towards them. Kai stuck his sword straight out and charged right at one ghost, the sword sailing through its body. It disappeared in an explosion of cytoplasm before Kai slammed into it, allowing him to keep on going. Looking back, Jay must've defeated a ghost, because he leapt back to avoid another explosion of the green, glowing stuff. When they finally came, they thought their eyes were mocking them as they stated at the horrifying sight. Zane lay on the ground with a large gash in his side, with Morro standing over him, savor ing the victory. His sai were laying a distance away from him. To top it all off, a very large amount of ghost soldiers surrounded the two. One of the ghosts caught sight of them, and got Morro's attention. "Ah, ninja." He said slowly. "The 6 little fools that stand in my way of turning Ninjago into a wasteland of darkness. Or make that 5, to be exact." He said, looking down at Zane, who was still laying with eyes closed on the ground. Morro nudged him with his foot. Not even a groan. The ninja stared, horrified at the sight of Zane. Then, to their relief, but not entirely, Zane groaned with pain, trying to get up. "Stay down." Morro hissed, putting his left foot on Zane's back, forcing Zane hard to the ground again. Zane weakly looked up. Morro snapped his fingers and simply said "Destroy them." And Morro turned back to Zane. "You lured your friends to their deaths." Morro raised his sword above Zane's head, glad to see his icy blue eyes filled with horror. "Despair and die." But before Morro's sword could deal the death blow, Jay leapt onto Morro's back, whacking him repeatedly with his nunchucks. "GET OFF ME YOU FOOL!" Morro bellowed. Morro blindly clawed at his back, but Jay held fast.

Cole and Kai were trying to fight their way through the army of ghosts to get to Zane, but there were too many. Seeing that Morro was distracted, and they couldn't get to him, Cole shouted "Run Zane, run as far way as you can!" "I-I can't leave you!" Zane barely managed to yell back. "Don't worry about us, we'll be fine! JUST RUN!" With all the strength he had left, Zane got up, the pain becoming so intense that it threatened to make him black out. Splotches of black had already formed in his vision. Then he began to run as fast as he could, down the dirt road that led southwards. Morro turned around to see this, and his eyes filled with fury. "DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE! CAPTURE HIM, AND BRING HIM BACK TO ME ALIVE!" Morro shrieked with rage. Three ghosts broke off from the group to chase the wounded nindroid down.

When Zane looked back, and saw the ghosts chasing after him, he began to run, not limp and run, but a full on run, clutching his wounded side. The moon he was looking up at only hours earlier was still in the east. He had no other option, but to run, run or be killed. Run somewhere. But where?

How did you like it? Reviews and tips welcome, and comment what you think can make this story more exciting. Stay awesome!


	4. Chapter 4: On the run

**Happy 4th of July! Sorry I didn't post a story for today's holiday, because what I would have in there would not make sense, unless if you read The Discovery of Mt. Horn, and I'm not done with that yet. Sorry again for not updating in awhile, I was on a road trip with some of my relatives. But enjoy the chapter! P.s what are you guys doing for the 4th? I'm going to The Stadium of Fire :D**

Day 1

The sky was still dark when Zane was still being chased by the pair of killer ghosts a few hours after the attack. Zane was surprised that he had made it this far. His eyes fixed straight ahead, where the dirt road still stretched strong southwards. When will the road end? Does it even have an end? When will the chase end? Where am I going? Zane just shook his head to shake off the questions racing through his mind as the ghosts began to slowly gain on him. Quickening his already fast pace, Zane tried to put as much distance between him and the ghosts as possible. The already intense pain from Zane's gash was steadily rising as a response to the change in pace. Zane seriously thought he would pass out from it, and it was still on the rise. Clutching his side, Zane looked up the the deep night sky. The moon he was looking up at from the bounty's deck only hours earlier was still hanging in the east, and dark, murky clouds were scuttling over the stars. Looking back to the seemingly never-ending road, Zane gritted his teeth, and kept right on running.

After quite awhile (basically the rest of the night), Zane unintentionally looked to the east, and saw a grey light. He couldn't be more relieved. The sun soon came sliding out of the eastern horizon in a ball of fiery yellow. The ghosts were forced into the forest, for they would disintegrate  in sunlight. Zane took to the forest on the other side of the road, so the ghosts would not reach him. Silently (and painfully, because a bunch of plants were brushing against him as he passed) , Zane slipped into the foliage of the forest. He winced as the plants rubbed against his wounded side. The foliage began to let up after awhile, and soon stopped entirely. Zane then found himself in a relatively thin forest with tall redwood trees. "The plant life here has changed a bit, it is indeed a bit different than what I normally see at home." Home. The word painfully reminded him of his brothers. The wound wasn't helping matters at all either. He walked over to the nearest redwood tree, and leaned against it. Zane looked up through the green and brown boughs of the tree, easily able to see the blue sky above. White clouds were lazily drifting through the sky, a flock of birds soon joining them. Home. Zane sighed heavily, and let himself slide down the trunk of the tree until he was sitting. He sighed again, and closed his eyes. Zane listened as a gentle breeze kicked up and sighed through the boughs of the trees. He heard a songbird singing his heart out, a caw from a crow balancing on the swaying branch in the tree next to him. Zane ran his hand over the forest floor, the feeling of dead pine needles meeting his senses. Mother Nature was wrapping around him like a blanket. Everything was so peaceful, so… Zane dozed off, not knowing that he would sleep until the ghosts' chilling cries would snap him awake. Zane looked around wildly, to find the source of the cries. Then Zane realized it was night. Terror rose into his chest. They could be anywhere by now, possibly right behind him. Zane slowly turned around, breathing a sigh of relief as no threatening shadows loomed over him. Zane quickly got to his feet, wincing as the gash began to throb again, and made a beeline for the road. Zane couldn't follow along the road in the forest, because the undergrowth posed too much of a challenge and the forest gradually began to thicken,and if he got trapped in the forest somehow, there wouldn't be enough sunlight to delay the ghosts for the day. Zane ran up theslope, to the road. As soon as he stepped clear of the vegetation, the ghosts burst out of the trees on the other side. And so the second night of pursuit began.

Day 2

Despite him sleeping all day, Zane had grown weaker, and was stumbling over gnarled tree roots and stones jutting out of the road, often colliding with the compact dirt, sending waves of pain through his body. He could've laid there for hours, but with the ghosts tailing him, doing that was out of the question. He scrambled up from the ground, the pain from the gash almost throwing him back down. Zane's breath came deep and ragged. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw that the ghosts were only yards away from him. If he didn't pick up the pace, the ghosts would catch up to him, and Zane didn't dare guess what would happen after that. He couldn't anyway. He was in too much pain, too scared, and still was trying to comprehend all that had happened in the past couple days. The rest of the night passed without anything major happening, except the occasional trip over a rock or root. The sun soon sailed into the sky, forcing the ghosts into the forest, and giving Zane time to rest.

Zane stumbled into the forest on the opposite side that the ghosts were in. He was in bad shape. Dehydrated, famished, and exhausted, Zane stumbled to find a source of water. The ground was slightly hilly, but still showed no sign of a creek bed or a spring. Walking on for a few more minutes, Zane finally leaned against a tree to support him. He couldn't go on any farther. The gash was gnawing at him, worse than the night before. He stayed with the tree for awhile longer, recovering some of his strength. Suddenly, he noticed that the ground sloped downward, and listening closely, he could hear the sound of trickling water. Water. New hope rose through him. Zane bounded down the slope, towards the sound. The forest floor was still covered with dead pine needles, making the ground slippery. And running down a hill covered with those doesn't help matters at all. Zane realized that when his foot shot out from under him, sending him flying through the air, tumbling down the slope, and crashing into the rocks near the creek bed. The fall caused so much pain, Zane blacked out for a couple hours.

While unconscious, forest animals passed by to drink from the creek, but keeping their distance from Zane, for they haven't seen anything like this in their territory. An elk with a very impressive pair of antlers walked nimbly up to the creek, but stopped when he saw Zane heaped up on the bank. The elk raised its head to sniff the air for any scent from predators, but detected none. Then he walked closer to the bank until his hooves and part of his legs were submerged in the water. Lowering his head, the elk drank huge gulps from the creek. Zane then stirred slightly, causing the elk to whip up his head in alarm. He sniffed again, and looked at Zane. The elk decided that he presented no immediate threat. Taking one more cautious look around, the elk resumed his drinking. Zane stirred again, and groaned. He was finally awake. The elk whipped up his head again, and saw Zane move. The elk stepped a few paces back, his hooves loudly clattering against the smooth, waterworn rocks. Zane quickly turned his head, in alarm of the loud noise, to see the elk standing there, water dripping off his muzzle and fog coming from its nostrils. Zane turned over to his good side to get a better view. He gasped at the sight. The elk stared at him with his beautiful amber eyes before violently turning his head to the trees behind him, and bounding gracefully up the slope and disappearing into the trees on top of the rise. Zane stated after it for awhile, taken aback at what he'd just seen. The elk's magnificent antlers and coarse, brown fur was permanently burned into his mind. Sure the creature was beautiful overall, but what stood out was those piercing amber eyes. But Zane was snapped out of his trance when the throbbing of his wound came on without warning. Zane's face was twisted with agony. He clutched his wounded side again. He looked down at his wound, wincing at the sight of it. He saw all kinds of debris lodged in it. He shifted again, accidentally putting his hand down in the creek's icy water. Zane yelped in surprise and quickly drew his hand back. When he saw that it was the creek, he remembered how parched he was. He crawled over, cupped his hands to drink the cold water, but stopped, because he knew how some water sources could contain arsenic, a deadly poison. He emptied out most of the water from his hands, and carefully sipped the remaining water. There was no odd taste to be cautious about. Zane gladly cupped his hands again to fill with water, and eventually quenched his thirst. He drank some more after that to edge off the hunger a bit as well. A large, lichen-covered boulder was nearby, so Zane crawled over to it. He payed down at its side, propping his head on its side. Completely exhausted, Zane slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Zane opened his eyes to see the sun beginning to sink low in the west. He got up, carefully, using the rock to support himself. Once he was up, he began to head back to the road, looking back at where he had encountered the elk. Then Zane made his way to the road. It was getting dark, but not dark enough for the ghosts to come into the open. Zane decided to use this time to get some extra distance between him and the ghosts. Feeling somewhat rejuvenated, Zane took off at a sprint, trying his best to ignore the horribly throbbing pain from the gash, and followed the now-somewhat faltering road stretching ever southwards.

Zane had gained a little extra distance from starting early, but that didn't stop the ghosts from catching up to him when it was dark enough to come out. The sky was clear, and the moon was at its last phase before it disappeared for the end of the cycle. The next few hours passed uneventfully, but towards the end of the night, Zane had tripped again. He underestimated the distance between him and the ghosts, giving an advantage to them. Ghoultar sped ahead poising his weapon. Zane turned around to see the ghost some feet behind him. Ghoultar aimed for a slash at Zane's back, but Zane rolled over out of the way just in time. Getting up, Ghoultar tried again. This time, Zane felt the cold metal slice under his artificial skin. Zane yelled out in pain, and stumbled. The ghost's blade sank into the ground right beside him. Ghoultar, and pulled on the handle, but it wouldn't come out. The scythe was stuck in the ground. Zane quickly got up and took off while the Ghoultar was still struggling. He heard the Bansha scream after him. Zane had lost one, but by now Bansha caught up. The agony from the cut on his back had made running all more the difficult. The rest of the night was quite dull, except the road was now thinning noticeably, and the forest was growing thicker.

After what seemed like forever, the sun climbed out of the eastern horizon, forcing the ghost into the forest. Zane once again took to the other side, finally able to rest again at last.

 **Soooo... How'd you guys like? Comments, tips, and reviews welcome, and comment anything that can make this more exciting. (I'll give you credit.) Anyway, happy 4th of July, and STAY AWESOME!**


	5. Chapter 5: The crossing of borders

Hey, I'm back with a fifth chapter. Sorry if this one seems a bit rushed, but when I heard the season finale was in two weeks, I kinda started to freak out. Anyway, enjoy!

 **Day 3**

Zane felt light-headed and dizzy. The new cut stung like crazy, and the old one was throbbing even worse. His knees felt weak, so he grabbed on to a tree to keep himself from falling. It was like he just couldn't go on. He just couldn't. Even with the support from the tree, Zane could no longer stand up. His knees gave out, and the last thing Zane remembered before his vision going black was the ground rushing up to meet him. He was out for about 5 hours.

When Zane finally came to, the sun was at its highest point in the sky. It was noon. He had already lost half of the day. Startled, Zane quickly got up from the ground, but the throbbing came back so suddenly, he yelled out in pain as he collapsed to the ground. His eyes were closed as he lay curled in a ball, holding onto his wounded side. "Oh god,…it hurts.." He barely managed to whisper. He continued to lay there. He found it painful to breath. Zane tried to move, but the throbbing ramped if he did. He quickly recoiled back into a little ball. Close words bounced off the walls of his mind. Run. Get away. Don't worry about us. Well, how was he supposed to get away now? It hurt just to breathe. It was agonizing to move the slightest. Trying to get up was out of the question. Zane weakly looked up at the trees. They weren't the redwoods he had seen the day before. These ones were dark, ancient evergreens. There were some old oak and hemlock trees mixed in with the evergreens. The branches and boughs blocked almost all sunlight from reaching the forest floor. The forest beyond was shadowed, giving the whole thing an eerie ambience. Zane felt so small. Over the tops of the trees beyond he noticed something he hadn't noticed before. He could barely see them, but they were there. Way off in the distance rose the snow-capped peaks of a mountain range. They were very far away, but their colossal size was what made them visible. It was then Zane began to wonder how far he had gone. But he quickly shook that thought off.

That's not important, Zane thought. He looked back down at his injury. There was more derbis in it. He knew that if he didn't take care of it soon, it would become infected. Taking a deep breath and gritting his teeth, Zane slowly rose up off the ground to his feet. His knees buckled again, but he quickly grabbed the tree to keep him from falling. He looked around for the nearest tree, seeing one about a couple yards away. With tons of effort, he sprung from the tree and staggered to the next. He repeated this process until he came across another stream. There was another tree growing right next to the banks of the stream. His energy was almost gone, so with his remaining strength, he leapt to the tree. Once he felt his hands holding on to the rough bark, Zane let himself collapse again. He was completely spent. Unintentionally, he slipped into a couple hours sleep.

Zane filly woke with a start. He quickly looked up at the sky, startled. Above, he could see the sun shining a little past its noon mark. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw he had not slept into the night. Zane then turned his attention to his cut. He was right next to the stream, so he crawled over to the water, wincing as the river rocks scraped against his wound. He struggled onto his knees, cupped his hands, and splashed some water onto his wound. It was icy cold. Zane gasped in pain as the gash reacted to the water by sending a horrible, searing pain through his insides. Zane quickly covered his side, recovering from the nasty surprise. When he looked back down, however, he was surprised to find a good amount of dust and dirt gone. Zane realized that he was going to have to do it again a few more times if he wanted to keep the wound clean. He didn't like the thought, but he knew it was a must. Zane took more water, looked away, and braced himself. The pain came back, but at least he was expecting it. By the time all the dirt was washed out, Zane's energy was once again gone. He didn't feel very safe out on the forest floor, so he looked around for some sort of shelter. The closest thing he could find was a large, flat boulder. It was low enough for him to get on, with effort, but high enough to give him some time to react in case something, or someone grabbed him. He crawled over. Then he began to hoist himself on top. Suddenly, his arms gave out without warning. Zane's hand found a small ledge on it a couple seconds later, but the sudden stop caused Zane's body to fly outwards from of the rock, and come colliding with the rock face again. To the average person, they would flinch and keep climbing. But it was a different story with Zane. Another shot of pain. This one was worse than the last, and it caught Zane off guard. Zane went to clutch the wound, forgetting he was on a rock face about 6 ft above the ground. Zane remembered and tried to grab back on, but it was too late. He fell down, landing on his injured side. Dead leaves fluttered about him, then settling back down. The pain was so sharp it clouded out Zane's vision, and pushed him out of consciousness.

Zane was out for the rest of the day. The ghosts were already on the prowl, laying in wait in the dense undergrowth on the other side of the road. Actually it wasn't really a road anymore. It was more like a wide footpath. When Zane didn't come out for about another 10 minutes, one of the ghosts was getting impatient. "He hasn't come out for 10 minutes now. Ghoul-Tar can't wait." Ghoul-Tar said. "Shut up, Ghoul-Tar!" The other said, slapping him across the back of his head. "This will get him to come out." He looked at Ghoul-Tar, inhaled, and let out one of his ghastly screams. It scared a flock of birds roosting in the branches above. They waited. Not even a movement came from the other side. The ghost tried again, this time more high pitched and louder. Soon, they heard the sound of staggering footsteps, and saw a dark silhouette. He was coming. The other ghost signaled Ghoul-Tar and got into position.

 **Zane's POV**

I was waking up. Wait. Waking up? When did I- I remembered. I fell off the rock and landed on my injured side. Remembering that, the pain from my gash came surging back full force. I tried getting up, but I was still weak, and it hurt too much. I heard something, but I couldn't quite catch it, because I was still waking up. Then I heard it again. It was a ghost scream. It was already night?! I was out for the whole day!? I looked up at the sky, just to see a pure black sky. Not again. I knew I had to get moving. Ignoring the pain from my wound, I got up, and made for the road. My pace was a staggering run as I went up the slope that leveled with the road. I stepped clear of the foliage. And soon the ghosts sprang out, so the third night of pursuit was on.

 **No one's POV**

The road was dwindling down to a fading footpath as the ghosts chased Zane like a pack of wolves pursuing a deer. Luckily, the time of Zane being unconscious had actually gave him some strength, but it didn't help the throbbing from both cuts much. Off to the west, Zane could see the peaks of the range rising in the night. He had thought about trying to cross through the range, but it was impossible in the condition he was in. He was a nindroid, but even robots have their limits. He focused on the road ahead, when he noticed something up ahead. Was it a fallen tree maybe? Coming closer, Zane saw that it wasn't a fell tree, but another stream! Zane knew how ghosts couldn't cross water, so when Zane came up to it he crossed it eagerly by hopping on some slippery rocks standing above the river's flowing surface. Zane was satisfied to here screams of frustration from the ghosts when they found out about the stream. At least it had bought him some time.

Still, as driven on by they were by Morro's command, they soon found a fallen log some place off the roadside that one end was on either shank forming a sort of bridge. They closed the gap, and once again had Zane in their crosshairs. They noticed him slowing down due to the pain of his wounds. "You see, Ghoul-Tar? I told you it would work." The ghost said, smiling evilly. Ghoul-Tar also noticed Zane beginning to slow down. "Ghoul-Tar get him!" Ghoul-Tar sprang ahead, bearing down on Zane like a starved animal. Zane heard Ghoul-Tar coming from behind, and began to pick up his pace again, causing the black splotches in his vision to come back. But Zane still went on. It became overcast as the night grew old, and was still gloomy weather when the sky began to turn grey. It was still too bright for the ghosts, even in this weather, so they retreated into the forest like always. Zane didn't even have the energy at this point to go the other side. Instead he leaned against the nearest tree on the very edge of the opposite side, struggled into a a laying position, propped his head against the rough bark of the ancient evergreen, and closed his eyes. Zane faintly wondered for a split second how far he had gone. But he wasn't able to finish the thought, for he went into a once again dreamless sleep.

Truth to be told, Zane had covered much more ground than he thought. Today was the day when he had crossed the "border" into Southern Tip territory, Ninjago's last frontier. And he was headed straight for the heart of it.

So how'd you like it? Comment anything that you think could make this more exciting (I'll give you credit). Reviews and tips greatly appreciated, and STAY AWESOME! 


	6. Chapter 6: A small run-in

**Hi guys, here's the next chapter, and again sorry if I hadn't updated in awhile, I was sorta busy. Here are some reviews that I would like to individually respond to. BlackRoseDragon- Zane does lose the ghosts eventually, but I can't say a lot without giving away most of the story. RevelisCharm- Zane does get "captured", but not in the way you would probably expect. I am thinking about writing a story when Zane and one of my OCs get captured, and Zane being turned evil. Zanewalker- thank you so much for reviewing my story, and helping me get this thing off the ground in the first place. Gocheck out his/her stories! (Srsly do cuz one of them inspired me to start writing my fan fiction on here :P AND THANK U ALL 4 THE 300 VIEWS WOW I WUV U ALL! (P.s I got a new Packers hat and I'm so happy but you probably don't care :D) ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

It was only noon when Zane woke up. He decided to get going to gain some distance. He struggled up, and set off at a subtle trot. He stopped to drink from a puddle, being filled from a storm that came in about a week before. He had gone quite some miles at the trot, and wasn't feeling as scared when the light began to fail. Zane noticed that the footpath was deteriorating faster now, plants were growing over it. The night passed without anything big happening. The ghosts were far behind, and the southern chain began to become more visible. Zane smiled and looked down. He was shocked to see that he was no longer on the road. Big mistake, instead of stopping, he kept running while looking down, not knowing he was about to run head-on into a tree. Zane looked up in time to see the tree's bark at a nose distance when he went face first into the solid trunk. He felt the rough bark dig into his face before the rest of his body followed. Zane flopped to the ground with a loud _oof_ , landing flat on his back. The impact sent waves of agony through his insides, sucking all of the oxygen out of his artificial lungs. It was beginning to become difficult to breathe, because of the combination of the collision and the pain. The deep stone armor wasn't helping matters either. Not the best thing to do in a forest, Zane thought. Zane continued to lay there for some time, trying to regain his breath, or what was left of it.

A few minutes later

Zane was still laying on the forest floor when the ghosts' aurora could be seen on top of the hill. Luckily, his gi was black, besides the white accents, keeping him hidden in the shadows. He prayed that they wouldn't see him, he still felt too weak to move. When they weren't looking Zane turned his head back and sighed. Then he looked up at the sky. The moon was gone for the month, but the stars were still there. Since he was supposed to lay still, Zane looked up at the stars, managing to single out a few constellations. Unable to find anymore, he decided to try to answer some of the questions in his head. _Where was he?_ Zane had no clue, except he knew that he was far away because his surroundings had changed quite a lot. The mountains he was able, or actually was once able to see, weren't visible from the village where the battle happened. _What were his brothers doing, and where are they now?_ That was the only question he couldn't answer. Zane let his head fall to one side, and sighed again. The pain wasn't dying down. Zane shut his eyes. "Lord, what've I done to deserve this?" He asked to no one in particular. He was feeling sorry for himself. _Don't start go get like that, Zane_. He thought. _Feeling sorry for yoursel_ f I _isn't going to change anything, it will probably make things worse, if anything_. Zane mentally shook off the feeling. Turning his head back to the sky, Zane saw clouds beginning to cover the stars. Drowsiness was beginning to take over. Zane fought it, but soon began to give in when a scream he knew all too well pierced the silence of the night. Zane's head shot up in alarm. Quickly, he got up, the pain from his three injuries beginning to throb as usual. He did his best to ignore it. He thought he was visible to them, but he didn't know that they were doing it because they _didn't_ see him.

 **On top of the hill**

Bansha let out on of her one of his ghastly screams. It was her idea that they scare the robot out of his hiding spot, tricking him into thinking he had been seen so he would show himself. It would take up too much night time to go searching for him. While Ghoul-Tar scanned the trees, Bansha prepared to let loose another shriek when Ghoul-Tar tapped on Bansha's shoulder. "Where?" Bansha asked. Ghoul-tar pointed down the hill with his scythe. Bansha looked in the direction where he was pointing. There, at the base of a tree, was something, just a black mass with silver visible, moving. Or more likely, Bansha thought, someone. Bansha released another horrific shriek, and charged down the hill, with Ghoul-Tar following close behind. Zane had been spotted.

 **Ok guys sorry if it was short I just srsly thought that the ending was perfect. Anyway, plz review, tips and advice welcome, and comment anything that can make this story more awesome (I'll give you credit). STAY AZOME!**


	7. Chapter 7: The dragon

Hi ppl! Here is another chapter for ya ;). I would've updated yesterday but I lost the document and I was almost done so I had to start over DX I finally got to the AU part I'm so happy :D. AND WOW 372 VIEWS?! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I have to upload this now otherwise I won't be able to do it for another 8 hours or something like that. ENJOY THY CHAPTER

Zane raised his head up in alarm as he heard the scream. He quickly dashed out into the open. He had nowhere to go. He liked around wildly, knowing that the road ended here. The ghosts were charging down the hill full force in Zane's direction. Zane, who was in a total panic, bolted off to the west. He was heading into the forest again. He weaved through the trees, seriously thinking he was going to run into one again.

It was in the early hours of the morning. Zane was getting tired from jumping side to side to avoid the trees, while the ghosts just went right through them like the place was an open plain. It literally felt like Zane's legs were going to fall off.

Grey streaks were forming in the east when Zane burst out from the tree line and onto the stony soil that laid between the trees and the base of the mountain. He didn't think about stopping, until he tripped as winced as a sharp rock dug into his body. When he was getting up, he looked up, he saw and what he saw took his breath away. The mountains were very jagged, sort of like broken teeth. They were of dark grey stone. Zane saw how steep they were. To him, the range looked as steep as the wailing alps, possibly steeper. He guessed that the peaks were snow- capped, but he couldn't be sure. Misty clouds covered them. All of the mountains were unexceptionally tall, but one rose high above the rest. It was very tall, so tall that it seemed to scrape the sky. The snow reached about 2 thirds down the mountain. It's shoulders were steep as well, and it's peak was pointed. Zane got up, when a cold northern breeze blew. Zane shivered. Rising back up, he saw a black stripe on the ground. Was it a river? Zane hoped so. He ran towards it. As he got closer, he was somewhat disappointed when he saw no water. Mabye it's gone dry for the year. Zane thought. Closer, he saw it wasn't a stream bed. He was very close to the edge when Zane realized it was a ravine. He skidded to a stop, halting right on the edge. The stop knocked a rock loose, sending it falling into the darkness below. Zane was rooted to the spot, terrified by the fact he could've fallen in. Then he would've been done for. Zane cautiously looked over the edge. The walls of the ravine were made of the same stone as the mountains, except the walls were smoother. Zane looked down to the bottom. That is, he thought when he saw what was there, also remembering how he never heard the echo of the rock hitting the bottom, if there was a bottom. Where the ravine floor was supposed to be, there was darkness. The ravine was so deep, the sunlight didn't reach the floor. Zane backed away, and turned around. He was horrified when he saw the ghosts coming out of the tree line. The two began to split, so Zane was trapped from the right and left, and the ravine trapped him from behind. But the rock did hit the bottom, and it was about to trigger something. Something big.

 **At the ravine floor**

 _Tik, tok, tok_ went the rock, bouncing from the ledges near the ravine's floor. The bottom was cold, pitch black, and covered with ash. The rock continued bouncing, until it hit a bare spot on the floor in front of a cave with a tik that echoed into the darkness beyond. Nothing else happened, because the ravine floor was lifeless.

 _Or was it?_

The cave was also dark, so dark you couldn't see a foot away from your face. It was so dark, so cold, it was like no living thing on earth could survive here. But out of the darkness, in response to the echo of the fallen rock, something appeared.

 _Purple eyes_.

 _A hiss._

Someone was there.

He was now awake from his eons-long sleep. The creature crawled out of his cave spread his leathery wings, and flew off in the first time in centuries, intent for the ravine's edge.

 **At the edge**

The ghosts were pressing in on Zane now. Zane didn't have his elemental powers, and he was too weak to summon the Titanium Dragon. Bansha laughed, and said "You thought you could outrun a ghost? You pathetic little fool, you're nothing but a piece of scrap metal, who deserves to rot away just like HOW WE DID!" Bansha finished the sentence with a scream, making Zane clap his hands over his ears. Bansha raised his sword. "Goodb-" Bansha began to say, before he was cut off by a deep roar, and the others being blown over by a black shadow that shot out of the ravine. The shadow rose higher and higher, until it was a pretty good up in the sky. Zane and the ghosts looked up, and saw that the shadow up in the sky was actually a massive black dragon.

It roared again, and shot out a ball of purple light in their direction. Zane scrabbled out of the way as fast as he could, trying to avoid being hit. Running some distance from the battle, he was able to see the dragon's features better. The dragon was almost solid black, except it claws, underbelly, the periodic cone shaped spikes on its back, and it's wing membranes, which were grey. The dragon's frill was black, scaly skin stretched across five spine bones protruding from its skull (in other words, similar to the golden dragon's). On top of the dragon's about was an orange horn that looked like a rhino's, except there was no secondary horn and the edge was sharper. To top it off, the dragon had piercing purple eyes with pink pupils. The dragon shot another ball of light at the ghosts, then flew over to the ravine near Zane. It began to breathe the purple light again, beginning to form a bridge. What the dragon was letting spew forth from its mouth looked like purple, glowing rock. When the dragon was finished, it flew up and landed in front of the ghosts, blocking their path to Zane. It snarled. Unintimidated, Bansha swung his sword, slicing through the hide on its snout. The dragon only narrowed it eyes. Bansha became annoyed when Ghoul-Tar shook his shoulder. "Would you stop?! Can't you see, the sun's coming out!" Bansha looked in the direction where Ghoul-Tar was looking. Sure enough, the sun was beginning to come up over the mountain. "We have to get to the other side before the mountain shadow is gone." Bansha said. Ghoul-Tar nodded, and both ghosts turned to continue battling the dragon. Ghoul-Tar swung his scythe at the dragon, but it surprised them both when it caught the blade on its claw.

Still holding the blade, with a struggling Ghoul-Tar behind it, the dragon looked over its shoulder, to Zane. What does it what with me? The dragon looked from Zane, to the bridge, and to Zane again. Then it hit him. _The dragon was trying to help him._ Zane started to run across the bridge, but by then the ghosts had already slipped past the dragon's guard. It tried to stop them, but it's jaws only went through the ghosts' bodies. The dragon flew up, preparing to destroy the beginning of the bridge, but it could not get there fast enough. Before the dragon could use its horn to destroy the beginning of the bridge, the ghosts were already gaining on Zane. The dragon was about to shoot another ball of light, when it saw that if it did, it would probably hurt Zane, probably even kill him. The dragon flew above them, waiting for then to reach the other side, where the dragon could hold off the ghosts while Zane got away. Suddenly, the dragon was thrown back in midair, as if by some unseen force. The dragon recovered, then wondered how that had happened. Then it remembered. The barrier, put up by their wretched father so they could not escape, so they could not interfere with his plans for conquering Ninjago. The dragon roared if frustration, seeing that it's best efforts at the time didn't help the wounded ice ninja. The bridge began to crumble into glowing purple shards. Zane didn't look back as the dragon roared after him. The dragon watched mournfully as Zane and his pursuers disappeared into the snowy mountains, and stared in the same place long after they had disappeared from view.

Try and guess who the dragon's father is. Anyway, plz review, tips and advice welcome, and comment anything that can make this story more awesome (I'll give credit). STAY AZOME! 


	8. Chapter 8: Into the range

Zane gripped the stone ledge tightly. He had to climb some cliffs to get was at from the ghosts. Luckily, none of them were too high. Zane had finally reached the top. He hoisted himself up and over the edge. The ghosts weren't far behind. Zane began to run carefully down the mountainside, watching out for the ice patches that dotted the mountainside. The only thing that told Zane about the morning was the overcast sky changing from black to a dark grey.

Day 4

Zane bent over, resting his knees on his hands as he tried to regain his breath. His throat was burning. He hadn't had anything to drink since taking a sip from that puddle. Zane noticed a patch of fresh snow next to him. He had an idea. After recovering, Zane got to his knees next to the snow patch. He ate some, seeing if it would help with his thirst. It didn't help much, if at all, but it drive out a little hunger. Just a little. He got up and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. The small breeze came through, whisking some snowflakes with it.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, knocking Zane over. More snow got caught in in the wind, making hard to see. Zane barely caught the sound of Bansha's scream, the wind carrying her voice away. He struggled up, but it was almost impossible with the wind blowing against his back. When he managed to get up, Zane used his arm to shield his face against the wind and carefully walked down the mountainside. He couldn't run, because he could slip on an ice patch or the wind would knock him over if he did. He looked for a safe way to get down, but when the ghosts were coming close he said "Forget that!" the snowstorm was becoming more aggressive, making it hard to see in front, so it was a wonder that Zane had made his way with only a few minor falls instead of falling into a gorge to his death.

Dusk

Zane was still covering his face from the wind as he made his way down the side of the mountain. His arm was cramping badly, but he couldn't let it down, because the wind would blow the snow into your eyes, and that wasn't the most comfortable feeling in the world. He couldn't switch arms either, because his other arm was protecting his gash from the snow in the air, the gash would sting badly if snow landed in there. He thought the ghosts got lost in the snowstorm, because he hadn't heard any thing from them since the scream from Bansha. Zane wiped the snow off his forehead with his sleeve, when he felt something scraping roughly against his skin. "What the-?". Zane said. He looked down at his sleeve, where ice was beginning to encrust it. "Of course. What else could-WHOA!" Zane suddenly fell into a deep snowbank face first. He lay there for a few moment before quickly stumbling up. He looked around, completely bewildered at what just happened. Then he finally realized he was in a snow bank. With a sigh, he climbed out of the bank back onto solid ground. A sting rose up from Zane's gash, the fall being face first had caused snow to lodge in it. Zane looked down at the cut and filched at the the look. It looked like it was becoming infected. Zane shivered violently. He didn't know why. The cold was, well, cold. Actually, it was freezing. The cold was like an animal, sinking it's teeth into Zane's metal skin. He turned his attention back to the cut. He thought it was infected. Could nindroids get infected? He didn't know. All he did know was that he needed to get moving, because another one of Bansha's screams rang out. With the wind screaming in his ears while blocking his face with his arm, Zane traveled deeper into the blizzard and the mountain range.


	9. Chapter 9: The slip

So here's chappie number 9! Sorry for not updating in awhile (again). I would've updates last night, or earlier yesterday, but I was at horse camp and it was my curfew before I could've finished and posted it. And again, some reviews to respond to. Guest- Thank you for telling me that. That'll really help in the future, and it helped me wrap up part of the end. And about the dragon, he and the others (oops I said too much. There's more than one) can only be controlled by the Dark Archer, unless he or she gives someone permission to handle them. As for the barrier, it was put up by the overlord when he was in his dragon form, and no one really knows how, but it is believed that it could be some sort of dark magic he lacked now. ENJOY THU CHAP (3 days after last one)

The wind whipped in Zane ears as he struggled through a waist deep snowdrift. The blizzard had ramped to a whiteout, so he could see nothing ahead of him but a wall of blowing snow. The wind was blowing northward, and was driving against Zane since he made eastward, although in the whiteout it was impossible to tell. Zane was still covering his face as the wind threw the snow at it. He tried to determine the time of day by looking up to the sky, but the whiteout surrounded him in all directions. Zane's breath was thick fog in the air, but he couldn't tell because it blended in with the whipped up snow and the wind carried it off a second later. Zane shivered again. Zane had had nothing to eat or drink in the last few days. His gash stung and throbbed intensely, making the black splotches in his vision come back. Zane wiped the snow from his face, and felt the grating of the ice against his metal skin. He checked his sleeve, and saw that the ice had grown larger on it. He let it down, so it could continue covering his wound. Zane continued to trudge through the mountains blind for the rest of the day.

 **Dusk**

The storm had let up a little during the day, allowing Zane to see a little farther than he was able to when the storm blew. But the harsh wind was still there, and so was the flying snow. Zane began to notice the ground becoming very rocky and sloping upward. Zane looked up, seeing anther mountain loom in front of him. He had reached the base of another mountain, but despite its great size, all he could see was its silhouette through the storm. Zane couldn't take on another mountain, so he tried to find a way around it. Unfortunately for him, the mountain's base extended to more surrounding mountains. He knew that any mountain pass would be blocked up by snow by now. Zane also knew that standing around and waiting for the storm to let up was out of the question, the ghosts could be anywhere, even only a few yards behind him. He tried to catch sight of them, but the storm wouldn't allow that. Still, he didn't want to take any chances. But it was also getting dark, making the mountain almost deadly to climb, in conditions like this, if it wasn't deadly enough already. But just then one of Bansha's screams came through the whistling wind, and it was plenty enough to motivate Zane to climb the mountain, and started for the top its base.

 **A few minutes later**

Zane could barely make out the two shadowy figures coming through the storm, but with their eerie green glow and the shape of their weapons, he knew exactly who they were. He had almost know time to waste. Zane, at the base of the mountain, looked up to the top. It was concealed by clouds. He didn't want to, but he had to. It was either he did it or or get captured. There was no way around it. Zane inhaled deeply, and bolted up the base, trying to shut out the pain from his now-somewhat-infected gash. Rocks slipped down the slope as Zane's footsteps knocked them out of place. Zane saw a ledge up ahead jutting out of the mountain face, so once he was close enough, he leapt mostly gracefully but somewhat awkwardly onto the ledge, because it was thinly coated with ice. Zane slipped a little, and broke up some of the ice on the ledge. Zane frantically felt his hands along the cold rock for support, when his fingers found a small piece of rock sticking out of the ledge. Zane grabbed hold to steady himself on the now slightly stable ground of the ledge. Still trying to get his balance under control, Zane glanced upward, catching sight of more ledges farther up the mountain. He looked at the terrain around him. Two sides of sheer rock rose on both sides, a slippery way back down with the ghosts close by, and the mountain itself a few inches from his nose. So there was only one way out. Up. Realizing that, Zane sighed, and began to pull himself up the mountain.

 **Some hours later**

Zane flattened his body as much as possible to the freezing cold stone as the wind blew across the mountain face. Zane had been climbing the mountain for quite some time now, so his arms were very tired of gripping the mountain face that kept him from falling all the way back down to the base. Snow stung Zane's eyes as the wind pummeled it into his face. Zane's hands were becoming numb, from both the cold rock and gripping tightly on small ledges and indents in the face. Wondering how far he had came, he looked down, but saw nothing but mist below him. Zane was startled when he saw that, and he started to feel dizzy. "I completely regret that." Zane said. Then, a gust of wind blew, almost throwing Zane off the mountain. It wind continued to try to pry Zane from his grip, but he held fast. He could barley manage it. Zane hugged close to the rock and prayed for the fierce wind to stop. It died down somewhat in a few minutes, but it still whistled in Zane's ears. Zane looked back down again, but he couldn't see the ghosts. He relaxed a little, but was still careful to get moving before long. Zane looked up to the ledge above him, took a deep breath, and jumped to it.

Zane felt the rough stone slide beneath his fingers. He had reached the ledge, but couldn't find a foothold to help get him up. Zane was still sliding back to the edge. He was starting to fall off. Zane's hands were still sliding across the ledge when they caught onto a small indentation. Zane grabbed hold the split second he felt it. Once he stopped, he opened his eyes (he had them closed when he started to slide off, bracing for the fall) and breathed a long sigh of relief. Zane began to feel along the mountain with his foot for a foothold, finding a small bump of stone. He would probably slip, he knew, but it was the only place around. Zane put one foot up, and hoisted himself up and onto the ledge.

Once Zane's knee touched the ledgetop he flopped to the cold rock. Zane was exhausted, hoisting himself up like that. He couldn't afford another move like that, when an alert for his strength showed up in his vision. 3%. Oh no. One more move that daring, his strength would be completely gone, and he would be dead meat at that point. A sudden gust of wind was so strong it nearly lifted him up and tossed him off the ledge! Zane quickly grabbed onto the edge to keep him from being pried from his hold. Once the gust died down again, he got up. He surveyed the surrounding mountainside, looking for a different way up than from ledge to ledge. A little ways from his right, Zane saw what looked like a a small, rugged footpath. More rock rose a few inches above it at the right side. It was covered in snow, and stones sticking out of the path could be hidden under the snow, but it was still better than using up all his strength to get to the small ledge above him. Zane, relieved, was about to walk over to the "path", when he saw that a narrow ledge that was only a few inches wide, was all that granted access to it. Zane would have to inch his way on the ledge if he wanted to get there. He didn't want to do it, but he had no other way. Zane looked from the ledge he was standing on to the path ahead. Then, turning the front of his body to the mountainside, Zane edged along the ledge, just hoping he wouldn't slip and fall or a another wind gust would come through. Zane was scared of the thought of him slipping off the ledge. "Just keep going, don't look down." He thought while climbing the ledge, his eyes closed because was scared. "Just keep going don't look down. Just keep going don't look down. Just ke-" Zane inhaled to sream when he didn't feel the stone beneath his hands, but opened his eyes to see that he was on the other side of the ledge. "Oh thank god." Zane said. He felt nothing but relief flood through his body, and he began to relax. Up ahead on the path there was a spindly, dead tree that stuck out through the rock. Zane made his way over to it and rested there. At least it offered some shelter against the pelting wind and snow.

 **A few minutes later**

Zane was beginning to see the top of the rise. It was exhausting to climb up a steep slope where the snow would knock you down if you caused a snowslide. Zane began to wonder if he had lost the ghosts. He stopped, hearing nothing but desolate sounding wind. Zane continued to the mountaintop, satisfied he had lost them. He finished the final leg to the top when he saw something he just could not believe. "What?!" There floated Ghoul-Tar, holding his scythe at the ready. "W-what are you doing here? How did you get here?". Ghoul-Tar only straightened out his scythe and laughed. Zane took a few steps back and turned to the path which he had come up, just to turn face-to-face with Bansha. "Oh god." Zane muttered under his breath. Bansha cackled evilly.

Zane looked for a place to run, but he was surrounded, Bansha on his left, Ghoul-Tar on his right, the rest of the peak in front of him, and they were advancing on him slowly, backing Zane up. Zane looked behind him, seeing the icy edge of the sheer cliff they were on. When he was backed up a bit more, he began to see the ground below. Far below. Looking down at the drop, you could say he was staring Death right in the face. The ghosts were still pushing him back, when Zane stepped and felt only his front half of his foot on the cliff. As that was happening, thoughts were running through his mind. He was scared of dying. But why? He was totally content with his fate with the Overlord. _Why was he scared of death now? Was it because back then he had time to make sense of it all, even if it meant giving his own life, and the run-in with Morro was unexpected, and things went so wrong so quickly, that he didn't know what was going on until after it had happened?_ Zane didn't know. Also what Zane didn't know was that he was about to fall off the edge. The ghosts didn't stop advancing until Zane was at the very end of the cliff.

And then the icy edge betrayed him when Zane took and extra step back, causing his foot to slip off into open air and throwing him off balance, sending the rest of him off the cliff. "AAAAAAAAAHH!" Zane screamed but was cut off by him hitting a ledge, sending a spear of agony through Zane's body, so bad he couldn't even scream in pain. A second later, he hit another ledge, and the agony from the next impact stacking on top of the throbbing of the first. And that's how it's went the rest of the way down, each hit hurting more than the last. Even for a nindroid, the pain soon became too much for him to handle. And the torment from the final impact was still to come. And he still kept falling. When Zane thought he couldn't take any more, his injured side struck the sharp edge of a small ledge. Zane began to gasp out in pain, but stopped halfway when he slowly began to go out of consciousness. Zane was completely senseless when he fell into the deep snow at the foot of the cliff, face first. The snowstorm covered Zane as the wind still wailed mercilessly in his ears as he remained unconscious, the blizzard covering a good amount of him overnight.

So, how do you like it? Plz review (no swearing), tips and advice greatly appreciated, and comment anything that can make this thing more exciting (I'll give you credit)! See ya next time around! -ENDERREX ? 


	10. Chapter 10: Into the storm

**Hey ppl, I haven't updated again for awhile, which I'm sorry for again. BUT, this chapter is the longest one I've done so far, so ya. Some more reviews to respond to.** **Nindriodzane- Thank you! I really plan on continuing the story, my goal is for it to be at least 20 chapters long.** **Guest- That would be cool, but I don't think it would work out very well with what's going on. But thank you though.** **Also contains a little Pixane fluff (I rarely ship, and the only couple I ship is P.I.X.A.L and Zane). Remember, JUST A LITTLE (really, just a little)** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

Zane woke with a start. His eyes shot open, temporarily forgetting everything that happened. Then it all came flooding back into him. The two ghosts, being on the run, the elk, the dragon, and, of course, the sword stab.

Zane quickly grabbed his side in surprise when the searing pain came back at the thought. He grimaced as the pain continue to flare until it dulled back down because he wasn't moving. Zane gently moved his hands away from his side when he noticed that he was surrounded by white. "What the-?" Zane said in confusion. Then he realized it was snow. Zane began to wonder how it, or more likely, he, got into the snow in the first place. When a sudden gust of howling wind whipped through the mountains, he remembered about the snowstorm. "It must have covered me while I was unconscious."he said to himself. Zane stayed in his little cocoon of snow for a few more minutes, before struggling out.

 **A few minutes later**

Zane began to push out of the snow, bracing for the pain. It threatened to wipe him unconscious again, but Zane remained strong. Taking deeps breaths, he continued to clear snow on top and around him. The pain became more intense, almost knocking Zane out, so he stopped for a few moments before continuing. The snow mound he was under was deep, so it took him awhile. When he decided that was enough, Zane put his hands against the roof of the snow, prepared for agony, and gave a massive push to break the packed snow above his head. Zane burst through, the somewhat muffled wind suddenly screaming in his ear and snow flitting into his face. His wound also screamed in protest, which forced Zane to flop onto the mound of snow that he had flung out. His fingers dug into the ice, silently begging the pain to stop. It dulled back down after he stopped moving. Zane looked down to see he was still waist deep in snow. Zane sighed, and began to pull himself out of the snow, when his sixth sense suddenly told him to freeze. Zane froze on the spot. He tried to see any sign of a threat, but saw nothing through the blizzard, which was now intensifying to a whiteout. Zane heard the faint sound of snow crunching under something heavy. He squinted, trying to see what made the noise. Then, a murky shadow began to emerge from the snowstorm. The crunching was becoming easier to hear, and Zane heard not the sound of two feet, like he expected, but four making their way through the snow. Was it an animal?

The shadow moved closer to Zane, who was still frozen in place from his sixth sense and fear.

The crunching was very clear now, Zane tried his best to huddle behind the snow mound. But it still came closer.

Crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch. Zane's electronic heartbeat began to speed up.

Crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch. The footsteps were still coming closer.

Crunch-crunch, crunch. The footsteps stopped. Zane sensed something standing over him, staring down at him.

At that point, Zane knew it was useless to try and hide any longer. He slowly began to look up. He was amazed, confused, and frightened all at the same time by what he saw.

Peering behind the snow mound, the first thing Zane saw was a pair of grey hooves that were partially covered with snow, then looked up to see two muscular black legs (with the other two behind them), then a black chest, an arched neck, and finally a black head head with its ears pricked forward. What shocked Zane about the animal was it eyes, mane, and tail. The eyes were blank purple, and where the mane and tail was supposed to be was replaced by purple fire. All in all, Zane concluded its was a extremely beautiful creature, yet very frightening at the same time.

"It seems you've taken interest in my steed." A voice said, startling Zane. He looked to the animal's back, where a man sat, sword in hand. The man wore a grey ninja gi (think of the ZX suits) with the visor and shoulder guards colored a metallic black. On the mans right side there was the protective netting (you know, like what Zane used to have) held in place by a couple leather straps that ran under and held the protective metal armor on either side, which were three metal plates, each smaller and partially under the last. Right under the man's chest was a silver circle, with a simple purple horse head emblem on it. It was held in place by two white straps going to the shoulders, and two more going down, which at that point Zane guessed they ended under the armor. The same metal plate pattern was the arms of the suit, kept secure by two brown leather straps, one at the beginning plate, and one at the end. To finish it off, a dark grey belt was tied at the waist. Zane looked up to the man's face, which was covered by the mask. Zane, who was shocked by the sudden appearance of the man and its animal, opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly a black shape at the man's side caught his eye. The grey ninja looked at Zane for a moment, then followed Zane's gaze, which rested on his double scabbard.

"Ah," he said, grabbing hold of the handle that stuck out of its sheath. "I presume you're looking at this." He slowly drew out a large, black saxe knife, making a small hissing noise. He held it in his hand so Zane could take a look at it. Where the crosspiece was supposed to be was a design of a dragon's head. It's black teeth stuck out sharply against the blade, which Zane thought to be tempered steel. He noticed the eye of the dragon was faintly glowing purple, but he had to squint to faintly see it. It was after the ninja showed Zane the saxe knife that he began to see the other weapons the grey ninja had.

There were two sheaths, one on each side. The other sheath was still occupied, and Zane recognized it to be an average throwing knife, since he was somewhat familiar with its shape. Up on the ninja's shoulder was a bow that was black and had grey material wrapped around the wood (where the rawhide or lace would be), with purple patterns woven in the grey. Then Zane noticed a sheath packed with arrows was strapped to the man's back, along with a sword Zane assumed to be also be black, since he could only see the handle, which looked like black leather.

"May I ask, assuming you're done gawking, what in the Four Legends are you doing here?" Zane was taken aback in the man's sudden change of tone. First it was old and mysterious, but now it was firm and full of suspicion.

"W-well.. I-we were sent on a mission, to stop a ghost raid- it was all going fine, until-" Zane was cut off by a shot of pain from his wound. He cried out and grabbed his side. The grey ninja saw the wound in Zane's side, his eyes growing in disbelief. "How in the world did you get that?" He said, his voice suddenly growing full of concern. The grey ninja hopped off his animal and kneeled down to the wounded ice ninja. Zane recovered from the sudden wave of pain, but it was still tearing at him. "Morro stabbed me." He said through gritted teeth.

"Morro?!" The grey ninja exclaimed, his suspicions confirmed. But he just wanted to be sure.

"Boy, may I ask, where in the world did you come from?" Zane was about to respond, when an ear splitting scream ripped through the air, the fierce wind competing against it. The grey ninja bolted up, drew his saxe knife, trying to find the source of it. Zane saw the ninja looking around. "That was-" "A ghost. I know. I ran into them a ways back." Then, a faint, green glow was becoming visible through the storm. The grey ninja caught sight of the glow, ran over to his horse, mounted up, and offered a hand to Zane, who was still waist deep in snow. "Come. I can take you away from here." Zane hesitated. How did he know he was supposed to trust this man? Was he good? Evil? He didn't even tell him his title. Zane was still battling with his internal conflict when the grey ninja's horse began to move away from him.

"Wait!" He called as the grey ninja began to disappear into the storm. The grey ninja stopped his horse and turned it around. "I-I'll come with you." The grey ninja chuckled as he rode over to Zane. He took his hand, and pulled Zane effortlessly out of the snow and onto the back of his horse. "Funny, how quickly people change their minds so quickly in dire situations." The grey ninja said, almost to himself. Zane said nothing in return, he was shivering from the cold, but the horse's back was warm. With a kick, the grey ninja urged his horse forward, which was farther in the mountain range. "Wait. Why are we going farther in?" The grey ninja did not answer. Zane sighed, figuring that was all he was going to get out of him for now. Other questions to ask this mysterious ninja were all swirling in his mind, but those would have to wait, as Zane's eyelids grew heavy. He found himself falling asleep to the rhythmic sound of the horse's hooves crunching in the snow, a quick crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch, since they were at a slow gallop. They had to proceed with caution, especially in this weather. The pace was fast enough to get them away from the ghosts, but not fast enough to get them out of sight. Zane watched as the ghosts shrinked down to little green specks in the distance, while at the same time his vision slowly fading to black, and before Zane knew it, he was asleep.

"Whoa, take it easy now boy!" The grey ninja said to his horse when it stumbled over a rock. "I guess you're getting just as old as me, huh?" He reached over to scratch the horse's neck. When they were on safer turf, the grey ninja looked behind him to see how Zane was doing. He heard a surprised snork from Zane when the horse stumbled, and he was stirring now. The grey ninja slowed his horse to a walk, just in case Zane slipped off. He heard a yawn, and felt a quick movement behind him as Zane became fully awake.

 **Zane's POV**

I was peacefully asleep when a sudden movement woke me up. I yawned, then I remembered me being chased by the ghosts. I made a quick move to get off the ground, but I became confused when I saw the ground moving under me. My feet were not touching the ground either. But when I remembered the animal and its rider, I instantly relaxed. I heard a ringing in my ears. "What the-?" I said as I massaged them. Then I remembered that it was from the howling mountain wind, and I noticed that the wind wasn't fierce anymore. It was just a caressing breeze now. I surveyed the terrain around me going by. We were still in the mountains. I was still taking a look around at the rock and snow whisking by when

"Where do you come from?"

 **No one's POV**

"Wh-wha?" Zane asked, not quite catching the question.

"I said, where do you come from?" The voice of the grey ninja repeated.

"Ninjago." Zane answered. "I figured as much, considering the fact that you've probably never saw a horse before." The grey ninja said, a tone of amusement evident in his voice. "Well I have now." Zane said. In Ninjago, there were herds of wild horses here and there, but with today's technology, there was almost no use for them. They barley knew how to get a pair of horses to pull a wagon straight. Zane knew that samurai used to ride on horseback, but those ways were long lost. Since someone from Ninjago could hardly get on a normal horse, Zane was mystified at how the grey ninja could handle this seemingly-mystical beast with ease. "I'm guessing by your gi,, and the fact that you're silver, that you are one of the four ninja from Ninjago?" "Yes", Zane said. "That is correct." "Which one are you exactly?" The grey ninja questioned further. "I am Zane, the Titanium ninja of ice." "The titanium part is pretty obvious." The grey ninja remarked. "What ninja are you?" Zane asked remembering one of his questions. "I'm the Phantom ninja, but I'm better known as the Dark Archer. But please, feel free to call me by whichever name you would like." Zane raised an eyebrow. "What's your element?" Zane really wanted to know this one.

"My element is phantom, hence one of my names, which is basically dark." "How is it visible?" Zane's question was answered when the Dark Archer raised a fist and making purple fire sprout from it. Zane's mouth was an O. Why hadn't Sensei Wu told them about the Phantom ninja? Didn't he know?Did he know, but didn't have enough knowledge to fully explain to them, so he kept it a secret? Or did he know and was keeping it secret?The Dark Archer looked up at the sky, for what reason Zane didn't know, but then the Dark Archer's firm expression was replaced by one of wonder. He let his fist slowly fall back to its position on the reins.

"Well isn't that the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He said. Zane looked up to the sky as well, and what he saw left him at loss for words.

What Zane saw in the sky was unlike anything he'd ever seen in Ninjago. It was like someone had spilled a container of silver glitter on a black sheet of paper. The moon was full, rising mightily in the sky, casting a halo of light around it. Wisps of lilac, red, and green moved across the sky. The light cast onto the sparkling snow, making it look like it was lightly colored as well. The lilac was light, soft and gentle. The red was a fiery spurt of light. And the green. Zane saw the color, and it stirred something in is mind.

Zane racked his memory chip, trying to remember what the green reminded him of. He dug deep, when it finally came to him, hitting him like a stun to the chest.

P.I.X.A.L…

 **Yea, when I mean just a little, I literally mean JUST A LITTLE. I probably to update as often anymore, with school about to start up again. Anyway plz review, tips and advice greatly welcomed, and comment anything that could make this story more awesome!** **ENDERREX, signing off!** **(P.S, try and guess which song inspired the scene for this chapter. If you want a hint, just tell me :))**


	11. Chapter 11: Into the wild

**Heeeeeeyy ;) Back wit another chappie Yay! I haven't updated in awhile. BLAME IT ON SCHOOL. k I gots to do dis real quick so** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

Zane couldn't control the flood of emotions that had suddenly came over him. How dare he forget about P.I.X.A.L! He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of her all this time, even for a second. She was pretty much is his whole world, and not once had he ever considered her. She was probably thinking about him, if he was okay, where he was, and if she'd ever see him again. And what had Zane done in return? He didn't even think about her once until now. Zane buried his face in his hands. Right now, he felt a mix of anger, sadness, and . Zane eyes were starting to get watery. He tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a sniff. All Zane felt at the pit of his stomach was an empty abyss of sadness.

"Got someone special back at home?" The Dark Archer asked, a tone of deep sympathy and regard. "Y-yes." Zane said, in between what seemed sniffs and sobs. The Dark Archer did his best to console him. He tried to reach back to pat Zane on the shoulder, but it was difficult because he was holding the reins of the Shadow Charger in one hand.

"We all have that one special person that we miss" the Dark Archer said somberly. "I'm no exception." The Dark Archer cast a wistful glance in a direction in which Zane couldn't name. Then he turned his attention back ahead of him, looking for any obstacles and hazards so he could guide the Shadow Charger through them.

Zane finally toughened up about to speak clearly. "Who do you have back at home?" Zane didn't quite know if he should be asking this, it might be a really touchy subject to him. But surprisingly, he answered, but slow and mournful. "My wife and my 2 beautiful children. Or used to, I don't know what happened to them, it's been so long since I've seen them." Zane began to feel sorry for the Dark Archer. He also had family somewhere. But what was he doing roaming this bleak mountain range if he could just go home? Zane repeated his thoughts to the Dark Archer.

"Aye, I wish I could. I'd give anything in the world to return to my friends and family. But I can't. My time has been long passed." Zane wondered what this meant. Then a violent jerk from the Shadow Charger almost sent Zane flying off its back and sprawling into the snow. "Whoa, easy now!" Zane looked at the Dark Archer's face. He could see a smile through the mask. "I guess you're getting as old as me, huh boy?" The Dark Archer said with a laugh. He petted the horse's neck. Zane was fascinated to see that his hand went right through the mane of fire. The Dark Archer didn't even flinch. Zane, our of curiosity, decided to check his internal compass. He had expected it to say South, the way back to Ninjago, but instead it said East. The ground began to slope steeper down now.

"Um-" Zane began, but stopped. "Yes?" The Dark Archer turned to look at him. "Where are we going?" The Dark Archer simply said "Where I can." Zane confused, turned back. Then he remembered he had questions to ask him. The Dark Archer took notice of Zane's expression.

"Seems to me that you've got a lot on your mind." The Dark Archer remarked. Zane, somewhat startled, replied "Yes, I've got quite a bit running through my memory chip right now." "Well, if you want to ask me a few things, go ahead. I have lots of patience." "When you said to me that you fought the ghosts awhile back-" Zane began, but the Dark Archer finished his question for him. "I was trotting along, when my Shadow Charger here," the Dark Archer pointed the the animal that they were on. "Bolted off, and for a second I didn't know what got into him. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't stop, so I let go of the reins and let him go to wherever he was going to go. He galloped on through the whiteout, which led me to the pair of ghosts. I tried to fight them off, but only my sword was a little effective. They managed to slip by me while drawing my saxe knife, but I lost sight of them after that." Then he turned to Zane. "And then that's when we found you." The mountain slope going down had stopped, tiring into a small, winding gorge. A small creek of The Shadow Charger underneath them swayed a little bit as the ground they were on changed from mountain side to somewhat flat land. They were now in a small winding gorge with a small creek of ice cold water mixed with chunks of ice flowed through them. The Dark Archer swung up his left leg and slid off. He motioned Zane to do the same. Zane began to slide off, but then his wound sent such a sharp pain through him that he almost fell off. Luckily the Dark Archer was there to catch him and help him onto the ground. Zane bent over, clutching his side until the pain receded into a dull throb. After the Dark Archer made sure Zane was okay for now, he went over to the Shadow Charger and led it over to the creek to let it drink.

Once that was done, the Dark Archer, Shadow Charger, and Zane all rested, taking shelter beside a snow covered boulder off to their side. It provided some protection against the driving snow. The Dark Archer led them to one side, where the boulder blocked the snow. He motioned for Zane to sit and rest. Zane gratefully slid down to sit, his back to the rock face. The Dark Archer undid a pack on the Charger's saddle. Zane saw that it was a cloth sack full of coffee beans. Then the Dark Archer tied the pack back up, went to the Charger's other side undid another pack, then closed that one up again. After he came around, Zane saw that he also had a fistful of dry sticks. Walking back over, he cleared a spot on the snowy ground to set the stick down. Then the Dark Archer set them alight with his elemental power. Then he pulled out a kettle, scooped up some water from the creek, and set it down on the fire to let it boil. Once it started to bubble, the Dark Archer threw in a handful of the coffee grounds. He let it boil for awhile, until steam began to rise from the kettle. Taking out a couple tin cups, the Dark Archer poured the steaming coffee into them, handing the first one to Zane, then the other one for himself. Zane took a long draught from the cup. The coffee caused a warm feeling to spread through Zane's body. He was very thankful of the warm cup of liquid in his hand. The Dark Archer took a few sips from his cup then set it down.

"So, you say you're the element of ice?" The Dark Archer asked. "Yes. Yes I am. Although I can't show it right now, I'm to. . .uh. . .?" While Zane was talking, the Shadow Charger had shuffled quietly to where it was behind the Dark Archer. Zane was even more shocked when it lowered it head and started to drink the coffee from the Dark Archer's coffee. He didn't even notice until Zane leaned to the side to get a better view. "What?" The Dark Archer said when he saw the look on Zane's face. Zane pointed to the Shadow Charger, and the Dark Archer turned to see the horse absolutely enjoying his coffee. The horse didn't bother to stop, it's eyes closed with enjoyment. When it finally opened its eyes, it froze for a moment in mid-swallow, then swiveled its ear in his direction. It finished swallowing, and froze again. The Dark Archer stared in shock for a moment more.

"Hey!" The Dark Archer yelped, gently pushing the horse's head away from his cup. "That's my coffee, not yours!" There was a a hint of amusement in his voice. Zane chuckled when the horse seemed to shoot the Dark Archer a look that said _what? I can't have coffee too?_ with drops of steaming coffee dripping from its muzzle. Zane was about to take another sip of his coffee when a shriek tore through the air, almost drowned out by the driving wind.

The Shadow Charger snorted and stomped its hoof impatiently. The Dark Archer bolted up, a look of fear and alarm in his eyes.

"We need to go. _Now_." The Dark Archer quickly threw everything into the sack, hastily tied it, and sprung into the saddle. He rode over and pulled Zane up onto the back. Then he spurred his horse, and they galloped off, full speed. It wasn't a second too soon. Right when they were about a few yards away, Bansha and Ghoultar jumped down from the rock that Zane and the Dark Archer were residing by. The two ninja took off into the raging whiteout, with the ghosts in hot pursuit. The ninja lost them, but their aura was still faintly visible through the storm. But it didn't take long for the ghosts to completely vanish in the seemingly never-ending white. Zane breathed a sigh of relief, watching the gradual disappearing of the ghosts.

"We lost them." Zane shouted over the wind to the Dark Archer. "Did we now?" The Dark Archer said, mildly surprised. "Well, we were lucky to escape in time. We've rested too long. What a fool I was." He muttered under his breath. The wind whipped snow into the ninjas' faces as they galloped through the storm. They soon began to blindly climb a steep mountain slope, which leveled out. They galloped on. They rose up another side, this one shorter, until they were at the top of the rise, which overlooked a valley. Much to Zane's wonder, the storm seemed to let up for just a brief moment to let him see what lay beyond. Zane saw snow capped peaks rising off in the way distance, and the land in between was thick forest. Then the blizzard veiled his view again. The Dark Archer stopped. "Are you well enough to get off on your own?" Zane nodded. The Dark Archer motioned Zane to get off. Gritting his teeth, Zane slid off the animal's back and landed awkwardly into the snow. Waves of pain radiated through his body, but he did his best to ignore it then he looked up at the Dark Archer. He still wondered why he hadn't taken him to Ninjago and farther into the mountains instead. Zane questioned the Dark Archer . Why can't we turn back to Ninjago? That's where I need to go. I have family there." The Dark Archer looked down at Zane. Zane then remembered how imposing he looked on that animal. "I can't go that far, Ninjago territory is far beyond the borders of my own. I can take you from one end of my territory to another, but no farther than that." Zane glanced upward at the Dark Archer. He began to thank him, but the Dark Archer cut him off.

"Don't thank me. It's my duty to help and protect others." Then he cast a forlorn look at the direction of the valley." " Or it was, for that matter." Zane was absolutely baffled by his words. The Dark Archer began to turn his horse back to the direction in which they came. The Dark Archer turned to Zane. " Good luck on the rest of your journey. I can no longer accompany you. I wish you as safe a journey as possible." Zane was still at loss for words. Then, the Dark Archer turned his back to Zane, and as quickly as he appeared when Zane laid eyes on him for the first time, he galloped off into the raging whiteout, where he was swallowed up by the storm and faded into the white. Zane watched him go.

Soon, there wasn't a trace of the Dark Archer being there; not a hoof print in the snow, nor the silhouette of a horse and rider. Zane stood alone on the crest of the mountain range. He stayed there, absorbing everything that happened. The way he disappeared had an atmosphere of mystery. Then he shook his head. There was _no way_ there could be another elemental master, otherwise Sensei would at least tell them about it just _once_. But he remembered the way, the violet fire sprouted from his hand. And that was no magic act. Zane scanned the horizon, or as far as the blizzard would let him see. He still saw no sign of the Dark Archer, but Zane decided it was time to get going again when he saw two green auroras shimmering through the white of the driving snow. Zane slowly began to walk towards the edge of the crest to where it began to slope into the foothills below, and from there they gently rolled into the valley. Zane reached the edge and began to pick his way carefully down the side of the mountain.

 **Soooo, some reviews to get to I know I should be doing this at the top but I'm on a time crunch here. Imortalice, the song has absolutely nothing to do with Ninjago, but good guess. The song that inspired this chapter is actually old, one line being "I walk these streets, a loaded six-string on my back, I play for keeps, because I might not make it back." For the rest of you, think about when Zane first saw the Dark Archer appear and how he disappeared, and think of any songs you know and try to match it up. Tell me in the reviews if you think you got it. Anyway, please review because I thoroughly enjoy reading them, tips and advice greatly welcomed, and comment anything that you think could make this story more awesome (I will give you credit). Good night to all of you guys, and STAY AZOME!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Thunder Rolls

**Hi! I'm back with chappie 12! Earlier update than usual, yay! I would've updated earlier, but I was going back and forth in between this and making an edit for Zane (who else XD). Immortalice, do you mind PMing me because I can't PM you for some reason. Thanks.** **Without further her to do...** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

Dodging through trees.

Again.

Zane, who was now in worse shape than ever, had made the descent from the eastern face down into the foothills in a period of a few days. It was nothing short of a miracle that he didn't die or get seriously injured when he suffered a few more falls while coming down, although, of course, none were as big as the one he had right before he met the Dark Archer. Even Zane was mystified as how he was still even living, or to be well enough to run at all.

Right now, things weren't as easy as they were before coming into the range. Then, there was a strip of clear, unbroken sunlight to separate one side of the forest from the other. Now, there was no sign of any civilization in sight. Zane had heard rumors in Ninjago about a mountain range.

Zane knew for a fact, that people have tried to climb the mountain range before to see what the valley was like. The news always announced a voyage to the unnamed range once it was made official. But the journey there was dangerous, and even the well-prepared didn't make it. The trip just to get to the range was rough, considering that the road to get there (the one that Zane took) was very rough and the weather was bad almost all the time. They were lucky if they even made it to the range. People who saw the ravine didn't even bother to try and scale it turned back. Only about 11 people , not counting the 12 that died, had got over it, and from there they turned back. They reported that they were forced off because of the weather, or they were chased off the mountains by some large beast, the latter no one believing them.

He also heard that the people living in the range, if there was any at all, were primitive savages. They know nothing about the outside world and live like cannibals. They do not speak English, only their own tongue which nobody knows except for themselves. They hunted animals and each other with long ancient looking spears. The rumored people were also said to be constantly at war with each other, and so they killed anyone that stood in their way.

And yet here Zane was, in complete pain, but he managed to move through the unknown woods, through the range, and into the valley that no other person from Ninjago had before, and he did all that just by running for his life. Not counting that the Dark Archer helped him. But Zane didn't have time to feel proud and congratulate himself, because he was still being chased by the two ghosts that want to capture him and take him back to Morro.

And then only God knows what'll happen next.

Zane was running down a slope of a hill, slower than usual, he didn't want to slip and fall like what happened at the creek where he saw the elk. He knew for a fact that if he were to slip and fall now, he would be powerless to get up and wouldn't be able to defend himself. So Zane kept on running, even as his silver blood kept dripping out once the temperature warmed up somewhat. His blood froze (it's liquid) when he was exposed to those subzero temperatures of the mountain range. Zane's throat was parched, so parched that it was hard to breath, his wounds were throbbing horribly, and his legs felt like they would give out any time now. Zane wanted so badly to stop and rest, but he knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to move again if he had to; his legs would buckle and he would fall and he would probably pass out. So, he kept going.

Zane was coming up to another side of a hill he would have to climb over. As Zane got nearer, he saw that it was steeper than the other ones he had gone over. Giant Jeffery pines and other evergreens towered on the slopes, their dead needles littering the ground like a blanket. Zane, against his own will, skidded in front of the slope. He observed it as thoroughly as he could as quickly as he could. Zane saw only a bunch of young saplings and a few rocks sticking out of the rise. Zane took a deep breath. It was nothing more than that, but it would have to do for now, because the ghosts are-Zane looked behind his back- coming down the slope!

Zane quickly jumped for the nearest sapling and dig his foot into the dirt and pine needles. Zane took a quick glance at the sapling. It was starting to uproot. Please don't give out on me Zane thought furiously. Zane stayed frozen in place until he was sure that the sapling wouldn't tear out of the dirt. Zane reached for another sapling to grab on to, when he heard something come from behind him. As Zane as reaching out, a green and black glowing sword stabbed the earth where Zane's arm had been only moments before. Zane whipped his head around to see Bansha poised for another strike, with Ghoultar coming up. Zane scrabbled up the ledge in a panic. Bansha took a little more time with her aim, considering timing when to hit and where. When Zane reached to grab hold of something and his arm was fully outstretched, Bansha thrusted with all of her might directly at Zane's elbow.

Target mark.

With a cry of pain, Zane lost hold of the sapling he was grasping and slid awkwardly down the slope. Silver blood spattered everywhere. Bansha waited for her prey at the base of the hill. When Zane skidded to a stop in front of her, she raised her sword to stab Zane in the middle of the chest. Zane rolled out of the way just in time. He shuffled crab style away from Bansha before quickly clambering to his feet. Then, he ran northwards, jumping from side to side to avoid slamming into any trees.

. . .

Zane had lost track of time. What time of day was it? Zane glanced up to the sky. He could see the sun playing hide-and-seek among the boughs of the evergreens as he ran along. So it's daytime. Zane wondered how many days he had been on the run for. He couldn't remember because he lost track of time on the range. The constant storms had covered up the sky and any sign that would tell whether it was day or night.

All Zane wanted now was for the ghosts to get off his tail. He tried his best to devise ways to lose them, but out of all the ones he thought about, none would've worked except for one. Once Zane lost sight of the ghosts, he went back to going eastward. He hoped for that to throw them off for at least a little while. When Zane heard nothing pursuing him for another few hours, he knew it worked. But despite his gain, he knew the ghosts would figure that he changed his direction and would be back on his trail in a matter of hours. Zane was thinking about what to do next, when he tripped over a knot of a tree root and landed hard. Zane stuck his arms out to break his fall, then his wounded arm twisted awkwardly underneath him as it became trapped under his own weight.

Snap!

Zane lay there, wondering what made that loud sound. Then bright flashes of pain slashed across his vision. Zane curled into a ball on the ground, writhing in pain. The source seemed to be coming from his arm. Zane recovered, and slowly got up, supporting himself on his good arm to evaluate his injured one. When he saw his wrist twisted at an odd angle, Zane could only assume the worst.

No, Zane thought. Please don't be.

Carefully moving his injured arm to he could see it, he saw that it was completely twisted and bent in wild directions. He winced as another sharp pain jabbed through his arm and at the sight of it. Zane felt his heart plummet.

"No!" Zane yelled. "No, no, NO!"

Zane stared at his arm with a stricken expression and his face would be blanching if he was a human. Zane began to hyperventilate. What had just happened, it was like a death sentence in such a hostile place like this. Zane began to feel lightheaded as he gaped at his wounded arm.

Zane's arm was broken.

Zane took one more look at his arm before fainting.

. . .

The light had began to fail as the moon rose full and mighty into the sky. The heavens were set fire to a fierce scarlet before fading into a dark blue and then finally to black. Stars began to peep through the sky and soon were twinkling brightly in the sky.

. . .

Zane was shocked awake by a nightmare which he couldn't remember. Zane bolted up, breathing heavily as he excepted the demons from his nightmare to coming popping from behind the bushes and the trees. When the combined pain from Zane's broken arm and his gash on his side made him stagger, he realized that it was all just a dream. Zane clutched his arm. Zane looked up at the sky, and was horrified to see that it was night. About to run, something bright gleaming on the ground underneath the dappled moonlight caught his eye. Zane stopped and turned around to see what it was. Zane's stomach lurched when he saw what it was.

It was a pool of blood. But not just anyone's blood.

It was Zane's silver blood.

Zane had to clutch his stomach to keep from throwing up. How much blood had he lost while running? Now that he saw that pool of blood, he began to see drips of silver dried on the ground atop the pine needles. He hadn't even noticed it at all until now. Zane looked down at his hands and saw his black gloves were coated in dried silver. Completely. Coated. He was losing too much blood. Then a shot of pain from his arm reminded him of his broken arm. Zane, breathing heavily, moved to hold his arm, when something off in the trees caught his eye also.

Two shadowy figures were crouched low behind a fallen log, bright green aurora wishing around them and ghastly green eyes.

Zane could only stare back at the ghosts that were staring daggers into his eyes. They leapt over the log and bolted towards him. Zane, terrified, stumbled and and ran deeper into the forest.

Zane had been running for almost half of the night, and the ghosts haven't given the slightest sign of letting up on the chase. Zane clutched his broken arm, which was hurting more because he had to move it somewhat to run without stumbling and becoming easy prey. How longer will this go on? Zane thought, exasperated. He just wanted it to end. He didn't care how at this point. Zane glanced up at the sky, trying to find the moon to tell the time, but couldn't find it for a second.

That is odd, Zane thought. Where is i-"AAH!" Zane tripped over a knotted root and fell. A sharp rock drove up into his side gash, sending a bolt of pain through his body and unclogging the dried blood, so it was dripping out again. The pain was so bad Zane lay on the ground, paralyzed for a few seconds before finding the guts to get back up and run. Zane took a few awkward steps before feeling a swooping feeling, like missing a stair, in his stomach. Zane collided with packed dirt and rolled down. The ground evened and Zane stopped rolling. Zane lay there. He tried getting up, but his arms and legs were trembling badly, and his knees buckled whenever he tried to stand.

But the ghosts were coming, and Zane knew that laying around was not an option if he wanted to stay alive.

Zane propped himself on one elbow. He needed to find a place to hide if he couldn't run. Zane combed the area. He realized that he was in a dry gully. Up ahead of him, a black splotch caught his eye. Zane saw it was a small little tunnel with some dry bushes growing above it. Zane looked at the tunnel doubtfully, but when he heard the ghosts' voices coming near the rise, Zane didn't hesitate and started to shuffle near the tunnel with his good elbow and legs. Once Zane was within arm's reach of the tunnel, he grabbed both sides and pulled himself in. He shuffled all the way back into it until his back was against the end. The tunnel was t very deep, but it was a tight squeeze. But it would have to do for now. Zane tried to make himself as comfortable Ashe possibly could, but froze when he heard Bansha and Ghoultar arguing at what seemed like at the lip of the gully edge right above where Zane was.

"I swear! I saw him with my own eyes! He took two or three steps and then he fell right down here! Look, I see silver coming down the side and at the bottom, but it ends there. I have no idea where he went after that."

"You LOST HIM!?" Bansha yelled at the top of her lungs, sounding like she was on the verge of shrieking again. "YOU STUPID IDIOT! HOW COULD'VE YOU TRACK OF HIM?! HE WAS RIGHT THERE! IF HE FELL DOWN THERE, THEN HOW COME I DON'T SEE HIM, HUH?!" "Ghoultar saw him fall!" He interjected. "My god. No wonder Morro kicks you around like a dog." Bansha said with disgust. "Come on, Stupeido, it could be just another of his tricks to get rid of us." Bansha continued to scold Ghoultar, their voices getting fainter and fainter as they went deeper in the forest. Away from Zane.

Zane released a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He sighed with relief, knowing that if he were to be caught in that tunnel, he would be dead meat. Zane breathed deeply to stop his heart from racing. He tried to fight the drowsiness that was trying to overtake him. He wanted to stay awake in case if the ghosts came back. But it was all in vain. Splotches of black blotted out his vision until Zane's head started to droop and rest against the cold earth walls of the tunnel. Before long, Zane had slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

. . .

For the first time since that night when he was called out on that mission, Zane was able to sleep somewhat peacefully and wake up on his own time. Zane felt very well-rested since a matter of days and wondering what time it was, carefully edged himself as far out from the hole as he dared. He knew that the ghosts were still out there, and that they could be anywhere. Zane scooted out of his hole and looked to the sky.

The treetops were silhouetted against the sunrise gold strip that faded into a powder blue, and the blue became darker from there. Off in the distance, massive mountains towered in the east, also black against the early morning sky. Zane heard the call of a sparrow nearby.

Zane saw that at one point, as the gold began to fade, it stayed like that. But off to the east, a point at the mountains stayed like that, but a more bright fiery gold. Zane was pleased because that meant to sun was rising. The sun sailed into the sky, turning it into a hard thin blue. More sparrows chattered loudly somewhere nearby. Zane heard the sound of honking geese in the distance, making the migration to the south. As the day became mid-morning, Zane saw that the mountains to the east weren't as tall as the ones in the west, but they still towered, dwarfing any and every tree, cliff and hill in sight with their snow covered peaks, glinting white in the sunlight.

But Zane also something else.

Coming over the peaks were massive black clouds. A storm was coming. And since the clouds were as dark as night, it was going to be a big one too.

Zane took one look at those storm clouds and shuffled quickly back into his tunnel. He did not want to be outside when that storm hit. No way.

. . .

The clouds rolled closer, blotting out the blue sky. Zane cowered in his hole, hoping that the storm wouldn't be too bad. But when a rolling boom ripped through the air, those hopes were dashed.

3 hours later

The storm had completely moved in. It was starting to rain. It was still bitterly cold. A clap of thunder roared through the sky. It wasn't the gentle rolling thunder that Zane heard in Ninjago. It was a fierce, cracking thunder, like it was held back and was let free. The wind had kicked up, and was now howling through the treetops. Zane heard the creaking of branches like they were about to break. Then he heard a loud snap, followed by the sound of something big falling through the trees, ending with a boom. A tree just fell, knocked down by the storm. A bright flash of lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the forest with a blinding light for a split second. Another crack of thunder raged across the clouds. Then, the drizzling rain suddenly became a downpour, driving in the rain like thick sheets of water. A huge bolt of lightning came down, closer this time. Zane saw how jagged it was. He cowered in his hole. He shivered.

Zane had never felt so alone. He thought about how far he was from his brothers. P.I.X.A.L. Everyone and everything he loved. It was all so far away. Zane felt a tear slide down his cheek. The wind blew harder, and lightning blazed across the sky. To Zane, it seemed that Mother Nature was mocking him for him showing weakness. Zane tried to hold back the rest of the tears that threatened to spill out. Zane never saw this back at Ninjago. Here, in this strange place, Mother Nature's fury was unmatched by any other place he's ever seen. Zane felt so dwarfed by the storm. He tried to back farther into his hole, but when his back pressed painfully against the end, he knew he would have to sit here and tough it out. He let out a shuddering sigh. The wind suddenly changed direction, blowing all of the rain into his tunnel. It was ice cold. Zane was thoroughly depressed and miserable. Now, Zane was still thinking about his family, how they were warm and safe, and how frantic they were searching for him. And P.I.X.A.L . . .

Then Zane could no longer hold back the tears in his eyes. They slid across his face, and he buried his face in his hands, ignoring the pain in his broken arm, and sobbed. He cried for everything for everything he's ever known and loved, doubting that he would never make it back again alive. Or dead for that matter. Zane continued to cry. He cried himself to sleep that night while the storm raged on, out of control.

And deep in his heart, the thunder rolls.

. . .

Zane's eyes opened slowly, still wet from sobbing. Zane rubbed his eyes with his good arm and shuffled forward. He saw it was still dark outside the tunnel, but no rain patterned outside, no thunder boomed, and no split second glimpses of light. Zane shuffled out further. He saw that the ground was damp but now flooded in silvery cyan light. Zane peered out of the tunnel and looked to the sky. The moon was full, and stars twinkled in the night sky. The silent sounds of the evening settled around him. Zane began to relax slightly. But then he heard a sound that would make, if he had any, the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. It was so chilling, it sent shivers down his spine.

Coming from somewhere in the dark forest, a low, mournful howl flowed through the frigid night air. It howled again, and then silence. A tingling feeling ran through Zane's body. When came another one, and Zane had to plug his ears to keep the the horrible sound from coming into his ears. Zane thought he would never hear that sound in his entire life.

What he was hearing was the sounds of a lone wolf howling at the moon.

Zane quickly scooted back into his tunnel. The wolf kept howling, and then another one joined in, this one slightly higher pitched than the first, but both calls were still haunting. Then heard snarling and barking, as if the wolves were fighting over something.

Silence.

Another wolf howl, slower and mournful.

Then there were answering calls. Zane felt a shiver slip down his back. These ones were distant, but-

More howls, and more answering ones came back, but these sounded closer. Way closer. Then every wolf in a quarter mile radius, it seemed, all began to howl. Zane clutched his head and buried his face into his knees. He just wanted it to stop. Then another howl broke out, but this one absolutely paralyzed Zane with fear. The wolf which the howl had come from was only some distance away from the opposite edge of the dry gully, somewhere off to his right. Zane heard the sound of something galloping through the dry brush, getting closer to Zane. Zane pressed himself as flat as he could against the tunnel end and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, he expected to see a pair of eyes and glinting white fangs. But when Zane opened his eyes, there was no wolf salivating and licking his chops to drag him away to the pack. Zane did however, hear something running by, sending rocks and twigs tumbling down the edge of the gully. Zane thought that he saw a glimpse of silver fur shining softly in the moonlight as the wolf ran by. The howls continued until the moon was high in the east, leaning more to the west. Zane was dreary from staying awake all night, and he fell into a hazy, uneasy sleep. He slept until sunrise. When he woke up, he thought that it was going to be another day hiding in fear, but today, Zane was going to get quite a surprise…

 **Yea, emotions. I'm not really good at emotional stuff, war-related stories are more my thing. Thanks for all the views! Anyway, plz review, I'm begging you, (I thoroughly enjoy reading your guy's thoughts, PLZ review!), tips and advice greatly welcomed, and comment on anything that could make this story better. STAY AZOME! (P.S, this chapter is also inspired by a song, try and guess what it is. It has nothing to do with Ninjago whatsoever!)**


	13. Chapter 13: End of Pursuit part 1

**Hi ppl sorry for not updating I've worked hard on this. I gotta make dos quick so here ya go. ( Some OCs are in this now!)**

Hailey walked out onto the deck of her house. The whole place was awash in silvery light. The Harvest Moon. Hailey went to the rail and leaned against it causally. She rested her chin on the smooth, unpainted wood and looked up into the sky. Although the deck faced west, Hailey could still see the moon hanging in low east. It cast a bright light, almost as bright as the sun. It's light reflected off the wispy cirrus clouds in the sky and across her village and the surrounding forest. The moon was so bright it was hard to see the stars nearby. Hailey tried to pick out some constellations, and found only the Big Dipper and a weird "W" looking line of stars. The others Hailey didn't recognize. There wasn't a breath of wind in the sky, only a slight coolness touching her skin. Crickets chirped softly, and in the distance Hailey picked up the sound of the Elkhorn River rushing over the rocks and slowing down as it flowed closer to the village. She took a deep breath of the night air. A smell of cool earth and leaves filled her nostrils. She exhaled. "Night is a beautiful thing." she said to herself. She stared at the moon for awhile longer, but then the sound of a door opening behind her made her jump and whip around.

"Uncle Sam!" Hailey yelped, a hand over her chest. "Please..dont-!" "Oh, I'm sorry!" Uncle Sam said apologetically. "Did I scare you?" Hailey gave her uncle a look. "Yes. You scared the living crud out of me!" Hailey said in between breaths. "Sorry about that. I just came up here because someone wanted to be with you." Uncle Sam moved out of the way and something slipped past his legs. Hailey smiled when she heard the sound of scrabbling paws on the smooth deck floor.

"Hi Juneau." Hailey said, petting her red and white husky on the head. Juneau licked her hand with his warm tongue. Hailey wiped it on her pants. She scratched his head, and then noticed how much fur clung to her hand. "Jeez Juneau, how much hair can you grow? You're starting to grow your winter coat, but really? Why are you shedding now?" Juneau sat down beside Hailey and scratched his neck. "I also came to tell you that dinner's going to be ready in about ten minutes, I call you both down when it's done." Uncle Sam said before slipping back inside. "Okay, we'll be ready." Hailey said after her uncle before he shut the door. Hailey looked down at Juneau and scratched his head again. Then her phone, which was in her pocket, vibrated. She pulled out her phone and saw the notification. "I once thought babies came from trees" it said. What the heck? Hailey looked at who sent it. It said Abel. "Of course. Who else would send random but funny stuff at a seriously unexpected time. Hailey punched in her passcode and texted back.

"Dang it Abel you ruined my peaceful moment." She said. "Like a REALLY relaxing moment."

"Well I'm sorry what was so important that was better than talking to me?" Abel texted back.

"But, since when did you ever think babies came from trees?" Hailey replied. Well this is random. She thought. Abe's response popped up.

"Since I was 7" he said.

"Omg wut" Hailey said both in reality and through text.

"What it's perfectly normal" he said.

"Well you want to know something weird about me?" She asked.

"As always" it said.

"Well, whenever I watch paranormal shows in the day, I'm freaked out at night but if I stay up all night watching them I'm not scared at all." It's true Hailey thought as she pressed the "send" button. She waited for her friend to respond, then she started to here a weird noise from somewhere. "I'm hearing weird noises out here."

"How is that technically possible?" Abel questioned. "And outside your house?"

"First one, IDK. Second one, yea I'm chilling on the deck." She typed quickly.

Hailey heard a muffled call coming from inside the house downstairs. "K gtg Abel. Uncle Sam's calling me to dinner." Hailey sent it, and then quickly added "✌". Abel replied with the same emoji. Hailey turned off her phone and went inside with Juneau next to her. But as she was stepping inside, she thought she heard distant wolf howls. Juneau also looked back outside, but when Hailey heard Uncle Sam call for a second time, she quickly shut the door and went downstairs to the kitchen. The delicious smell of porkchops and potatoes filled her nose as she pulled out a chair from the table and sat down.

"You need help?" Hailey asked Uncle Sam, who was putting food onto a couple of plates. "Nah. Just come and grab your plate." He pointed to the plate on the left. Hailey got up, grabbed her plate and a couple forks, and sat at the table. Uncle Sam soon followed. She handed him a fork, and he smiled back at her Ina smile of thanks. Hailey saw that her plate was loaded with porkchops and mashed potatoes. Hailey was about to take a bite of her mashed potatoes, when Uncle Sam decided to crack a joke.

"Hey, Hailey," Hailey looked up at her uncle. He had that teasing look in his eye whenever he was going to try and do a pun. What is he thinking of now? Hailey thought, half annoyed but half curious at what he was about to say.

"What do you call a pig that does karate?"

Hailey literally had to restrain herself from smacking her head into her potatoes.

"Really Uncle Sam? Woooooooooow." Hailey's uncle started to laugh. Hailey just rolled her eyes and finished eating her dinner. But she still had a smile on her face. It's not that her uncle wasn't funny, it was just that his puns were really. . .well. . .bad. Hailey rinsed off her plate, gave her uncle a good-night hug, and went upstairs to bed. Hailey flipped on the light in her room, and on her desk was a half-gallon fish tank. And in that fish tank a delighted little mass swam happily in circles around the edges. Hailey smiled. Her Betta fish, Twilight, always did this when she came into her room. Hailey went to her desk and peered into the tank. Twilight finally stopped swimming in circles and swam over to her. When he stopped, he let his fins extend fully. Man, wasn't he a beautiful thing. Hailey recalled that fateful day when he first saw him at the pet store.

He was crammed into a tiny cup. He was then a dull, gray stressed out color, and Hailey felt bad. Uncle Same said that it want the best thing to take home a stressed out fish that might die within a few months, but Hailey took him in anyway. From the day Hailey took Twilight home, she treated him like a king. Within a few weeks, Twilight went from a drab gray color to a color combination that she'd never seen before.

His body and fins were black, but there were dark purple streaks on all his fins and a grey underside. To top it off, Twilight had beautiful amber eyes. He was just a crown jewel to behold, bubbling with personality. He turned his head at Hailey and flared in a showy way.

"Pffft. Show off." Hailey said with a smile as she reached behind his tank and pulled out a can of Betta food and freeze dried bloodworms. Hailey unscrewed the lids and dropped in five pellets and a bloodworm. Twilight eagerly swam up to the surface for his dinner. "G'night Twilight." She said. Hailey got up to turn off the lights. Then she went over to her bed, grabbed her pillow, threw off all the other pillows except one, and placed her Pillow Pet down o top off it. Then she grabbed some blankets folded at the foot of her bed, threw off the covers, and unfolded one of the blankets and threw it on too of her. Then she took another one, rolled it up, and draped it across her neck. Then she fell asleep. As Hailey closed her eyes, she wondered what the next day would bring. Little did Hailey know, she was about to get the surprise of a lifetime.

Hailey woke up the next morning from one of they weirdest dreams she'd ever had. Hailey made her bed, got dressed, brushed her teeth and hair and went downstairs. Her uncle was down there, cooking bacon and eggs. Hailey went and got a box of cereal and a bowl. She poured herself some cereal, and started to eat as soon as her uncle set both plates down. They both ate in silence. When they were done, Hailey went to the door and pulled on her dusty riding boots. Then she slipped outside with Juneau behind her. She went out to the side of the house, where some split logs lay waiting to be put in the woodpile. Two by two, she carried the logs and set them down at the pile. Then she went back inside to the kitchen to grab an apple. Then she went outside to the south side of the house, where the stable and paddock was. It wasn't too big, it was about the size of her living room. But it wasn't so confined that it couldn't support the two horses that were grazing there. One of the horses that was black and had a white mane and tail of was grazing, but when he heard the sound of Hailey's boots crunching in the dirt, his ears pricked up and he raised his head. When he saw Hailey waiting by the fence, the horse loped gracefully over to her. Hailey scratched her horse's neck. The horse nudged Hailey, looking for an apple. "Hang on, Ranger, I got right here."Hailey held it out, and Ranger carefully took it and chewed happily. While Ranger was crunching away, Hailey walked to a litter shack on the side of the stable. She flicked on the light and grabbed a bridle, saddle, saddle blanket, lead rope, and a box full of brushes. Then she walked back to the paddock and clipped the lead role to Ranger's halter. Then she led him over to the tying post.

Once Ranger was groomed and saddled, she went back inside to her room to grab her bow. Might as well try to get some rabbits, she thought. She slung the sheath of arrows on her back and grabbed her Packers hat from a peg on the wall. Then went back outside. "Uncle Sam I'm going on a ride!" She called. "Okay." He said " Be careful! Do you have your phone with you?" "Uh-" Hailey swiftly grabbed her phone off the kitchen counter. "Yea!" "Ok then. Be home before dark if you're planning on staying out long." "Alright. See ya!" Hailey shut the door, and went over to where Ranger was still tied, and and untied the lead rope. She mounted up, and Juneau came running around the house to join her. Hailey loped off, out of town and took to the main dirt road that connected all of the towns together. Hailey had Ranger moved into a trot, and once she saw no trucks coming, she let Ranger move to a flying gallop. Hailey whooped with joy. Juneau loped beside them. Nothing in the world today could wipe the smile off her face.

Well, almost nothing.

Ranger, exhausted from the flat gallop they did, slowed down to a smooth amble. Juneau walked beside Ranger, panting. Hailey's lower back was sore from bouncing in the saddle. But they were all happy. They were pretty far from town, but Hailey didn't mind. They could still make it back by dark, and it was only about ten o'clock. Ranger, Hailey, and Juneau all walked on, until they reached a dry gully. Hailey looked off to the side of the dirt road, where it sloped away and down into the gully. It always ran dry in the summer, but filled up in the winter. Hailey kept looking down at the gully, but was almost jolted off the saddle when Ranger suddenly stopped. Hailey felt Ranger tense underneath her. He tossed his head nervously. She leaned to the side, and saw Juneau standing in the middle of the road. A deep growl was rising from his chest and his fur was bristling. Was it the Wooley brothers? Hailey thought. Juneau was acting like something was about to jump out of trees and pounce on them. Hailey took her bow off her shoulder and fitted an arrow into it. No, the Wooley brothers aren't much of a threat most of the time, but if it wasn't them, who or what was making Juneau acting like that? "Well, there's only one way." Hailey muttered to herself. "Juneau!" The husky turned towards her. Hailey pointed in the direction where Juneau was staring at before. "Go find!" Juneau sniffed the ground, barked, and dashed off into the trees a little ways ahead. Ranger sprang after Juneau, and Hailey has to grab the saddle horn to keep from flying off. Ranger stopped where Juneau disappeared into the trees. Hailey slid off Ranger, bow in hand and saw Juneau sniffing the ground a bit further in the trees. She worked her way to Juneau, but stopped when something shiny on the leaves of the plants. She bent down to see what it was.

Hailey was surprised to see what it was. "What the-?!" It was literally liquid silver. But she wanted to be sure. It looked like it was liquid, but it could've hardened in that shape. Hailey reached for a twig and poked it at the shining stuff. Silver coated the tip of it. So it was liquid. But what in the world was it doing here? She highly doubted it was possible to rain silver. The last rainstorm they had was yesterday, but the ground dried really quickly. So what was it? Where did it come from? Hailey stood up and walked over to where Juneau was still sniffing. She gently nudged his head aside to see that he was also sniffing another patch of the weird silver stuff. Now Hailey was starting to get a bit edgy. She stood up, and then she saw more of it. Hailey's eyes followed it. It was like a trail. It came through the trees behind her, to the west, and passed towards the gully. Hailey decided that she was going to follow the trail. "Come on, Juneau. We're gonna findwho or what made this mess." She let Juneau lead the way. He had the scent sniffing nose. Hailey had to kneel down in and area and scan for the strange liquid. They followed the trail eastward, but not too far before Juneau stopped. He started to growl again. Hailey rushed to Juneau, and almost went flying of the edge of a rise. Hailey yelped and regained herself. Then she looked at where the trail had led them.

It had led them to the gully. Hailey saw that on their side, the silver stuff was spattered along the wall of it, ending at a a large splatter at the bottom, as if whatever made that stuff go everywhere fell down here and landed at the bottom. "Juneau." She whispered. The trail ended there, so whatever made it was somewhere in the area. She did not want to let it know that she was here. "Go find." Juneau went around, loping along the edge, disappeared into the trees towards the road, and carefully padded down a path of tumbled rocks at the opposite side. Juneau sniffed the puddle of the silver stuff. Hailey watched from the top of the rise. Juneau stopped sniffing and looked up.

And then he started to bark off the hook.

He found what was making the trail.

Hailey still watched from above. She wondered if Juneau had found whatever it was that made the trail but didn't know where it was, or if he was just barking treed.

But Juneau was focused on one spot and one spot only. Hailey knew he had found it when his fur began to bristle even more than it had on the road. "Did you find it boy?" She called, but Juneau still kept barking. Gripping her bow and pulling the string taught, she slid down the edge of the gully. She began to run wear Juneau was. He was barking at a hole in the gully that had some dry bushes hanging overhead. She didn't look at what was in the hole until she was standing right next to Juneau. The hole was small, but big enough for a full-grown adult to squish himself in there.

Hailey raced next to Juneau's side. She looked down at the dog and shifted her gaze to the dog to the tunnel while speaking. "Juneau did you fi-OH MY GOD!"

Zane had been watching the sun moving through the sky, and sighed as it passed over his tunnel and out of sight. He sagged. He felt so lethargic. Zane looked down at his torso and winced. His deepstone suit was slick with silver blood. That was probably why. Blood loss. Zane glanced outside. It was pretty much clear in the morning, but now wispy clouds were starting to streaked along the sky. All of his wounds were all excruciating. They were drawing of Zane of all his strength, except just a little, so when he built up enough, the wounds would soak all of it back up again. Zane groaned as his arm began to throb. Zane was in total agony. Zane tried to close his eyes so he could sleep. But when he heard the sound of something or someone coming towards his hiding spot, he bolted up and slammed his head on the tunnel roof by accident. Zane groaned and clutched his head. A pulsing headache began to come up. He rubbed his forehead but stopped when he heard a voice. "Juneau! Go find!" He heard a bark and rustling. Everything went quiet again. But soon after, he heard another "Go find!", followed by more rustling, louder this time. He heard something coming through the trees on his side of the gully, and then a yelp. Then Zane barely picked up of what sounded like whispering, and then he heard more rustling. Zane tracked the sound. It seemed to go farther away, and then coming back, but on the other side. Zane became paralyzed with fear when he saw a long snout and piercing blue eyes emerge from the bush, followed by its body and tail. For a terrified second, Zane thought it was a wolf, until he saw a collar on its neck. The dog had its head bent sniffing around, until it came to the puddle of silver blood. It sniffed the puddle a few times and looked up. Then Zane and the dog locked eyes. The dog started to growl and its fur began to stand on end. The dog started barking. Zane kept trying to tel it to stay quiet, but froze when he heard someone say "Did you find it , boy?" Zane didn't know what to do. Should he run? But he was in no shape for that anymore. Zane became petrified when he heard someone sliding down the wall of the gully. He heard someone coming up next to the dog, and a girl with long straight brown hair, glasses, and with a bow in her hand stepped into view. She hadn't noticed Zane yet because she was looking at the dog, but when she did, She screamed and jumped five clear feet back. "OH MY GOD!" And they both started screaming, taken by surprise by each other's sudden appearances.

Hailey could not believe what he was seeing.

Could. Not.

There was a guy in there. But not just any guy. This guy was completely silver, except for his eyes, which were a light icy blue and literally glowed. He wore a black ninja suit with white accents. Hailey was so taken by surprise she accidentally let go of the bowstring, sending the arrow whizzing through the air and slamming into the corner of the mouth of the tunnel. Hailey tripped and fell flat on her back. A cloud of dust rose up as Hailey quickly scrabbled back up and loaded her bow. She pulled the arrow back and aimed straight at Zane's face. A look of terror passed over his face. "That's right, " Hailey said grimly to Zane "You should be scared." Zane cowered back in his tunnel. Hailey continued to glare at Zane. "What are you doing in here anyway? And why are you silver?" Zane was still too shocked from her showing up so quickly, he couldn't find the right words to say. Hailey tugged on the bowstring. "Hurry up and spill it." Hailey growled. "I don't have all day." When Zane still didn't say anything, Hailey thought maybe scaring him a bit more might make him spill. Hailey pulled the bowstring farther back like how she would when she really was about to shoot. Zane winced as the arrow tip glinted in the sunlight. Then he started saying stuff so fast it was hard to understand a word of it. "Whoa, man, slow down! I don't speak gibberish!" Hailey was still eyeing Zane with a tight bowstring. Zane inhaled, and slowly said. "I'm-Zane." Hailey didn't look too impressed. "Zane, huh?" Hailey said mildly. She tugged on the bowstring again. "That still doesn't explain while your silver." Hailey stopped, and added "Or what you're doing here. Or how you did even get this far in the first place." "But who are you?" Zane asked hesitantly. "I'm the one asking the questions here!" Hailey barked with a sharpness that made Zane cower even more. "Now, come on," Hailey continued. "My arm's getting sore, and I like said before, I don't have all day." Zane took another deep breath. Zane told Hailey that he was the master of ice. Hailey still wasn't impressed. She even let a mocking chuckle "So, you say you're the master of…" Her voice trailed off. Hailey slid the arrow out of place, and turned away, as if thinking about something. Then an angry look came on has she whirled around and pulled back the arrow until the string looked like it was about to break. Now she really was considering whether she should release the arrow or not. Zane was taken aback at her mood swing. He saw her fingers twitching slightly. She was just waiting for the right moment to let the arrow fly.

"What?! So you're from Ninjago?!" Zane was completely scared out of his brains at this point. Hailey's eyes were blazing with rage. And she had a bow, arrow strung and aimed right at his head. Zane flung his arms over his head to defend himself. "Please!'l Zane cried. "This must a mi- AAAH" Zane's twisted arm flared with a sharp pain, and he a move to grab it, knocking his injured side. They both began to throb together, and Zane almost passed out from the pain. When Hailey saw Zane curl up into a shivering ball, she couldn't help but feel bad for the outsider. When Hailey saw a trickle of silver flow from Zane, she realized that it was his blood. Zane shuddered. He was slipping out of consciousness. "Please. . ." Zane gave Hailey a pleading look. "Help. .me. . ." Then Zane's eyes closed as his head lolled to the side. Hailey dropped everything and went over to Zane. She kneeled at the mouth of the tunnel and reached out to feel his neck for a pulse, but then hesitated. She still didn't know why he was silver, and what could happened if she touched him. But when Juneau padded up and pawed Zane's shoulder, Hailey felt his neck. She pulled her hand back and inhaled sharply from surprise as icy cold metal met her fingertips. Now she knew why this dude- Zane- was silver.

He was a freaking robot.

Hailey was bewildered, but it still didn't stop her from looking for a pulse. Hailey thought she wouldn't be able to get one under the solid exoskeleton. She gently pressed two fingers at the base of his neck. Nothing. She tried up a bit farther. She was surprised when her fingers felt something pulsing under the sheet metal. It was faint, but it was there. She stared down at his stomach and winced. It looked horribly infected, and silver was oozing out of it. Hailey thought if she could patch it up in any way, but she would have to go all the way back to her house to get gauze and disinfectant. But she had no time for that. There was nothing else she could dofor him as of now. With a sigh, Hailey sat down cross-legged at the mouth of the tunnel. She realized that Zane wasn't bad. But how he even got here- that question was burned in her mind. Hailey sat, waiting patiently for Zane to wake up. She looked around, and saw Juneau sit beside her. Then Hailey felt that something was missing. She looked around her, and saw her Packers cap laying in the dirt. She stretched out to grab it and blew the dust off. She put it on, but the l-forgot-something feeling was still nagging at her. She racked her mind, and then remembered that Ranger was still waiting for her on the road.

"Ranger!" She called. No response. She tried again. "Ranger!" Still nothing. Then, she inhaled deeply before hollering at the top of her lungs. "RANGER!" This time, she heard a shrill whinny and the sound of hooves clopping over the rocks. Ranger trotted up to her. She got up and stroked his neck. She went to open the saddle bag to get her water bottle. She shuffled through the stuff inside. She always put it on the right, but for some reason she felt like she stowed it in the left one today.

Hailey shoved aside a pair of binoculars, a bird identification guide, a book on animal prints, today's lunch, and a first aid kit as she searched for her water bottle. She finally found it, still cold. She wondered how it got all the way down there. Hailey pulled it out, causing something to fall to the ground. She picked it up and facepalmed when she saw what it was.

"I am so stupid!" She said when she saw it was the first aid kit. She glanced at Zane. There was something she could do for him. She'd just been too dumb to realize it. Snapping it shut, she quickly set the pack on the ground and popped it open. She quickly looked through it. She saw bandades, a tube of painkilling cream, some sterile pads, a large square of canvas, a tinfoil blanket flooded down into a little square, a bottle of disinfectant spray, alcoholic pads, two rolls of gauze, and an ace bandage. Hailey swiftly grabbed the rolls of gauze, disinfectant, and the ace bandage, and a safety pin. She shut the box, and went over to Zane. He was crowded all the the way in the back of the tunnel. Hailey didn't want to touch Zane any more than she had, but he was possibly on the verge of dying.

Whatever. Hailey thought. Yolo.

Grabbing him by the ankles, Hailey tried to pull him out close enough to her so she could at least try and stop his bleeding. Jeezus She thought. He's really heavy. Heavier than I thought he would be. By the time Hailey had dragged him clear of of the tunnel, she was gasping for breath. She backed away and was bent over knees. He's so so freaking heavy. Aren't robots supposed to be strong but light as possible? Hailey looked at Zane. He's made no visible sign that he noticed he'd been moved.

Well, Hailey thought, Apparently not this one, obviously.

Now came the hardest part. Getting him to sit up so she could get the bandages on as tight as possible.

Hailey walked around Zane and lifted him by the shoulders. Then she noticed the cut across his back. "Holy crap," Hailey muttered. "He's been through a lot." She dragged him over the the side of the gully. She gently let his shoulders down, before taking a break again. She glanced at Zane again, and wondered how he was still alive when she saw his suit sopped with silver blood. She heaved Zane onto the area where the wall was beginning to slope. When she heaved him up, Hailey thought she was straining a vital organ. "Jeezus" she's managed to strangle out. Once Zane was set, Hailey staggered away, gasping for breath. She had to lean against Ranger until she was able to lift again. "Thanks Ranger." Hailey said once she was rested. She looked over to Zane. Walking back up to Zane, she cracked her knuckles and sighed.

"Alright. Let's get this over with."

Hailey was laying flat on her back, with sweat dripping down her forehead. She had just finished getting Zane in the best sit-up position she could.

Which was only a slanted version of what Hailey was doing now.

"Jeezus Zane," she said. "You're killing me!" She got up. Her legs felt like she'd just run the mile nonstop and her arms felt like the time when she overestimated how many grocery bags she could carry and they all ended up ripping when her arms gave out. She sighed, grabbed the medical supplies she had gotten earlier, and set on bandaging Zane's wounds.

Hailey went over, popped open her water bottle, and began to pour it over the large gash on his side. It washed out most of the debris land dried blood lodged in the wound. Pine needles, small pebbles and rocks, and caked dirt all came washing out, but the infected color was still there. She took the bottle of disinfectant spray and sprayed it on Zane's gash. Hailey spritzed on some in a corner first, just to see how it would react to metal. She became scared when she heard a faint sizzling sound and Zane whimper slightly in his sleep. But then she relaxed when she remembered a time when Uncle Sam used the same stuff on a really bad scratch she got. It had also made the sizzling noise, but it only stung a little bit. But Zane was in total agony, so any other pain would make him suffer more. But it was for his own good.

Hailey began to spray some all over the open wound, and Zane shuddered with pain. She did the same with the one on his back too. Hailey was glad when that was over, she didn't want him to be in any more pain than he had to be in already. Hailey tossed the bottles aside and reached for the bandages. She began to unwrap a roll of gauze to help stop Zane's bleeding. But then she saw the scale of his injuries and how thin the gauze was.

Hailey glanced at his side gash and saw that silver was already dripping out again. She looked down at the roll in her hand. It would take a whole roll to stop only a day's worth of bleeding. Hailey sighed. Nothing to really help him out in the long run. She glanced at Zane again, who's head still was hopelessly limp and rolling to one side.

But, even if it would help him just the slightest bit…

Hailey ripped off a chunk of gauze wrap, balled it up, and stuffed it into Zane's gash. Zane made a halfhearted cry of pain and tried to squirm away (which to Hailey, was totally freaky because he was unconscious). Hailey grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him back to his spot. "Hold still man, I'm trying to save your life here!" She half yelled. Once Zane settled down, Hailey unrolled some more gauze and began to tightly wrap it around his waist. She had a bit of trouble getting past his back each time around, but other than that everything went fine. Zane let out a faint groan of pain. Once she thought the bandages were thick enough to hold until tomorrow, she tied the end off. Hailey stopped to see how she did. So far, it looked decent. Then she went to work on the other wounds.

Hailey rinsed out the wound on Zane's back and began to cover that up that as well. She unrolled even more gauze until the whole roll was almost gone. She quickly disinfected his back cut again before wrapping it up. Hailey went from the back, under one arm, across the front of the chest, under the other arm, and back again. She repeated this process several times until the gauze ran out.

Gently moving Zane back so he could lie down again, Hailey tenderly took one hand and lifted up his twisted arm. She saw out out of shape it we and flinched. She was starting to get squeamish. It was bent in two different angles, and what was even more disturbing was that the end of a wire was peeking out from an area at his forearm. She shook her head. There as nothing she could do to fix that. She would have to get a mechanic or someone else to look at it.

But, what if they rat us out? Hailey cast a worried look at the still-unconscious Zane. What would happen to him?

Hailey thought about all those stories she'd heard in history class. Mt. Horns hated outsiders. They loathed them. For what reason, she didn't know. Probably because that they were always fearing that they could be driven out of their homes so other people could settle there. Hailey was a Mt. Horn too. Everyone here was. But why hadn't she let the bowstring go when she found out he was from Ninjago? There were other possibilities too, but Hailey's main focus right now was helping Zane.

Then at that moment she realized that she would be taking this into her own hands.

Hailey couldn't fix Zane's arm, but she could keep him from knocking it. She snatched the ace bandage and wrapped it gently around his arm, but still keeping it as tight as possible. She kept wrapping it until the whole roll went out, and then finished by safety pinning the tail end. Then Hailey went to the first aid kit and grabbed the canvas. She'd learned this in P.E class. How to make an arm sling from a piece of cloth. She quickly did all the steps and was just tying off around Zane's neck when his eyes began to flutter open.

Zane lifted his head and moaned. His vision was blurry. He was still in horrible pain. But he was awake.

Great, Hailey thought. He wasn't so far gone as I thought. Juneau trotted over and licked his face in a friendly way. Hailey was surprised at Juneau's sudden change in feeling towards Zane.

Well, just perfect. Hailey thought. Now she would trust Zane if Juneau was acting so kindly towards him. Dogs could tell if someone was good or bad, like when she encountered the Wooley brothers for the first time. Juneau was growling and barking like mad when they first slinked out of the trees. Luckily, Hailey was able to get away in time before they could steal her lunch.

Zane made a groggy move to nudge Juneau's head away. His hand brushed against his side, and he winced as a jolt of pain went through his side. But when he felt the gauze, he glanced down at his side. He was surprised when he saw the gauze over his gash. Then he became aware of a feeling that something was wrapped around his chest and arm. He saw that his injured arm was wrapped up and in a sling. He saw Hailey standing in front of him. Her hands were covered in his silver blood. She was looking at him expectantly, with a relieved look mixed in. Zane saw that too, and realized that Hailey had helped him. Despite Zane's pain, he forced a weak smile. He was in too much pain to talk, and it hurt a lot just to breathe. Hailey knew he as thanking her. She smiled back and raised her silver covered hands a little bit.

"Hey man, no problem." She glanced back at the hole where she had first found Zane. I'm "Although this is. We're going to have to get you back in that hole. It to dangerous for you to be put in the open like this, especially with the condition you're in." Hailey turned back to Zane. "But, Jeezus.." Hailey's back was still sore from lifting Zane. There was no way she could drag him back again without her either busting an internal organ or back. Or both. Hailey's gaze then shifted to Ranger, who had trotted up closer to her but she didn't notice. Then she had an idea.

"Ranger!" She said. Ranger turned her way and pricked his ears forward attentively. He was ready to help Hailey in any way possible. She grinned. Ranger was such a good horse. Hailey stepped over to him.

"I'm going to need your help."

"Alright Zane. See that?" Hailey pointed to the saddle horn. Zane nodded. "You're gonna grab that when I help you up. Then Ranger and I'll help you over back to the hole. Me and him will walk slowly so you can keep up." Hailey looked at Zane. "It's going to hurt a lot though. I have to grab your broken arm to keep you up." Zane winced at the thought of how much his arm was going to hurt. "You ready?" Hailey asked Zane. Zane nodded again. "Okay. Ranger!" She called Ranger and he stepped forward. When Zane looked at Ranger, he couldn't help but think of the animal that the Dark Archer was riding. Hailey grabbed Ranger gently by the bit and directed him until he was right next to Zane's left side. Zane started to get nervous when he saw how close his hooves were. He did not want to get kicked.

Hailey grabbed Zane's shoulder. "On three." Zane got ready to stand up.

"One..two..three!"

Hailey hauled Zane up as he tried his best to stand. His knees began to shake, and he grabbed the saddle horn before he fell. Hailey hated to do this, but in order to keep him from falling, she seized his injured arm both hands and tugged it onto her shoulder. Zane yelled in pain. Still, he tried to stand, so with Hailey's and Ranger's support he was able to, but felt like he was on the verge of collapsing. Slowly, Hailey and Ranger began to walk forward, with Zane staggering in the middle of them. Ranger tensed up, and Hailey saw that. He didn't like someone or something totally unfamiliar close to him. Not to mention that Zane was holding onto his saddle. But he bore with it, because Ranger sensed no evil in Zane, but was still on edge in case Zane would try and pull something.

Although they were only some twenty feet away from the hole, it took them 15 minutes to get back in the hole because his knees always buckled, so Hailey had to help him back up and Ranger had to lean at a weird angle. They made it though, and by then it was 2:37 pm.

Hailey told Zane to let go of Ranger, and she caught him as he fell. Zane gasped as a another jolt of pain emanated from his side. Zane, with Hailey's help, scuttled back into the hole. Hailey was somewhat satisfied that he would be ok during the day. But she wasn't allowed to be out during the night, and Zane was really far from her house. She quickly whipped out her phone to check tonight's temperature. Hailey hoped it wouldn't be too cold. She went on the weather app and scrolled down. She gasped.

-12 farenheight it read.

Well, so much for that. She thought. Hailey glanced at Zane, who was now semi-conscious, but about to slip out. In his condition, he wouldn't last much longer out here. And he would almost surely freeze to death out here if was to go without something to keep him warm.

Hailey thought about the foil blanket in the first aid kit. It would help retain body heat, but she also heard it was going to be windy tonight, and that would blow away.

So she would have to go and get some actual blankets from her house. She sighed. This was going to be hard. How could she walk in and grab a blanket or two without Uncle Sam noticing and becoming suspicious?

Unless…

"Oh my god…do I really have to?" Hailey asked herself.

Well she did if she didn't want Zane to die.

Hailey turned to Zane, who looked like he was about to slip out of consciousness.

"Listen Zane," she said. Zane looked her way hazily. "I'm going to get some stuff, and I'll be gone for awhile. I'll leave Juneau here with you. He'll protect you while I'm gone." Hailey saw that Zane had gone unconscious, so she called Juneau over.

"Juneau, stay here and keep Zane while I'm gone. If anyone or anything comes near you two, scare them off." Juneau walked over the the mouth of the hole and sat down. She quickly washed off her hands with her water bottle. Then, satisfied that Juneau would stay, Hailey mounted up on Ranger and galloped off to her house.

Hailey and Ranger were galloping down the dirt road and slowed down when the weathered wooden sign with the name "Elkhorn" and a a pair of deer antlers above it came into view. Not wanting to be seen, Hailey and Ranger went into the trees at the skirts of the village. Hailey went far enough into the trees where they couldn't be heard but close enough to keep the houses in sight. After a few minutes of riding through the woods, she finally came to the backside of her house. She was lucky it was on the very edge, otherwise She would have a hard time trying to get out of town unnoticed.

Slipping off Ranger, Hailey silently snuck to the back window. She peeked inside. Through the front window, she saw Uncle Sam watering the grass and the tree in the front yard. She rolled her eyes.

Didn't I tell him yesterday that he should water at night? She thought. But he wasn't inside, so she could sneak inside and get what she needed without raising any suspicion.

She tried to open the window. She thought it was locked, so she was surprised when it slid open. She looked outside again. Uncle Sam wasn't paying any attention. She opened the window all the way and looked again. He was still looking down. She did her best to crawl inside stealthily. She swung one foot over and was going to step on the leather chest that was there but ended up misstepping it and landed flat on her face with a thud. She quickly glanced up. Even then, Uncle Sam showed no sign of even noticing that he heard something. She scrambled up and dashed upstairs. She ran down the hallway and dove for the cabinet there where they kept all of the blankets. She began to look through them, looking for ones that they hadn't used in awhile so Uncle Sam wouldn't notice they were gone.

Well, so much for being stealthy, Hailey thought. She looked at a couple of blankets, but then remembered these were the ones Uncle Sam used about every night. She put those back, and pulled out another. This one was another that Hailey used often, so that wasn't an option either.

Becoming frustrated, Hailey dug into the way back. There she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a blanket that was brown and it was really fluffy. Then she pulled another out. This one had a dark blue, white, and red sorta plaid design on a dark green backdrop with some sort of wool-like material on the backside. She didn't want to risk taking anymore, she shut the cabinet door. Hailey was about to go back downstairs, but froze when she heard the sound of the front door opening and Uncle Sam's whistling.

Hailey grabbed the blankets and dashed into her room and darted under her bed. She heard the sound of another door opening and closing. Hailey then realized that he was going to the bathroom. She quickly grabbed the blankets, tried her best to silently run down the hall and the stairs, ran through the living room, chucked the blankets outside, dove out the window superman style and shut it. She dashed to the treeline, scooping up the blankets as she went. She stumbled into the trees and fell, gasping for breath. That was a close call.

Too close.

Hailey got up and picked up the blanket.

Wait a minute…

A blanket? Weren't there two?

Hailey smacked her forehead. She saw a silhouette of Uncle Sam at the back window picking something up. She had dropped the other blanket during the rush. She thought surely that Uncle Sam would know something's up now. But then Hailey remembered that she always left a blanket there every morning. Hailey breathed a sigh of relief. Heading back to Ranger, Hailey went back to Ranger and secured the blanket to the saddle with those decorative leather straps, although originally they were used to tie gear to. She mounted up and rode back to the gully where Zane was hiding.

Hailey got off, untied the blanket from the saddle, and went down into the gully, with Ranger following close behind. There at the hole, she saw Juneau still at guard, and Zane looked somewhat awake. Hailey went over to Zane and set the blanket down. She opened up the first aid kit still lying on the ground away from the hole and took out the foil blanket. She quickly unfolded it up and threw it over Zane. It would help keep Zane dry in case if it decided to rain again. She took the other blanket and covered him with it also. Zane was unconscious again. She sighed. There was only one more thing left to do. Hailey went over to Ranger's saddlebags and took out a tiny notebook and pen she had and the sandwich from her lunch. She scrawled out a note saying she would be back tomorrow. Hailey took the sandwich, reached in as far as she could in the hole and set it down with the note on the bottom of it. Hailey got up, called Juneau and Ranger, and looked at both of then straight in the eye.

"Not a word about what you saw today. Got it?" Ranger tossed his head and Juneau made a weird noise. Hailey nodded to both of them, mounted up on Ranger and began to trot away. Hailey cast one more worried glance at Zane before heading out of the gully and setting off for home.

Hailey was doing her best not to act quirky all day, and so far she'd done so. But come dinner time, she was really trying hard not to look obvious that something was off. Uncle Sam noticed that Hailey was avoiding his eyes more often than she did when she was eating. He also saw that Hailey was not as talkative than she normally was. Uncle Sam decided that he would ask her if something was wrong.

"Hailey, is there something bothering you?" Hailey did her best to look up casually.

Make up a story she thought. She thought about something for a few second s before answering.

"No. Nothing's bothering me." Hailey left it at that.

"Oh really?" Uncle Sam raised an eyebrow. "Then why have you been avoiding me for almost the whole day?"

Hailey thought for a split-second more.

"I'm just shaken up still because of a deer that jumped out onto the road while I was riding along. I fell off and Ranger almost trampled me." She said. Actually, that had happened before. She remembered all too clearly at how close Ranger's shining horseshoes were close to her head.

Uncle Sam sighed. "Again? That's the third one this month." "Yep," Hailey said. "You think it's the early change in the weather?" "Maybe." Uncle Sam said. They both finished their dinner in silence. Hailey trudged off to her room. She changed into her pajamas, made her bed and flopped onto it with a sigh. Juneau slinked into her room and jumped up onto the bed with her. Hailey smiled and gently ran her hand down his head and back before covering her hands.

"Juneau, what have I gotten myself into?"

The next day, Hailey got up an hour than she normally did so she could finish with all of her chores by mid-morning. Once she was done mucking out the stalls, carrying firewood to the woodpile, feeding the horses, cleaning the tack, and raking leaves, she went back inside to eat breakfast and and pack lunch. She quickly wolfed down her bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats and was packing her lunch. Uncle Sam was doing the dishes.

"So," he asked. "What are you planning to do today?

Luckily, Hailey had prepared herself in case he decided to ask that question.

"Eh, nothing much. Probably look for berries to pick or something like that." Hailey replied casually as she dug around in the fridge for her sandwich. She put it in her lunch bag. Then she grabbed three water bottles. One for her, two for Zane. She could survive a day without an extra water bottle. Uncle Sam smiled at her before turning back to the sink. When Hailey was sure he wasn't looking, she quickly grabbed a second sandwich she had made in secret the night before and quietly dropped it in. Hailey went to the freezer for her ice pack. She put it in and zipped it up. Hailey headed for the door, grabbing an apple on the way out.

Hailey had just finished saddling Ranger up. She was about to mount up when she had an idea. Hopping off Ranger, she sped back inside her house and up to her room. There, she bolted to the corner where her six-string guitar was, tucked away in its black case. Hailey grabbed it and ran back outside, grabbing her Packers hat on the way out. She put the guitar on her back with a case strap and her and Ranger set out with a smooth canter, with Juneau by their side.

Zane was asleep when Hailey, Ranger, and Juneau came scrambling down the tumbled stones that spilled into the gully. The sound of them almost trampling over each other while coming down woke him up. His vision was blurry, but shifted back into focus as they came closer.

"Hey Zane." Hailey said exhaustedly as she sat down at the front of Zane's tunnel. "Feeling alright?" Zane shifted and winced as a sharp pain jolted through his side and arm. "Ah..I'm still in terribly excruciating pain." Hailey sighed. "Yea. That's not likely to go away anytime soon." Hailey then looked at him reproachfully . "I still have a question that you haven't answered. I most likely figured it out for myself already, but I want to be sure." Hailey shot him a serious look. "Why are you silver? And why do your eyes literally glow?" Zane sighed this time. "I am a nindroid."

Hailey had the _what-the-crap-are-you-talking-about_ look all across her face.

Hailey cocked her head to one side. "What the heck is a nindroid?" Hailey asked nervously. "Like a robotic ninja or something like that, based on the name?" "Yes." Zane said. "That is correct." Hailey shuffled a few feet away from him. "Don't fear me. I'm too weak to even stand on my own. How could I possibly harm you?" Hailey stopped, thought for a moment, and scooted halfway closer. That was all she was going to go for now. She looked at him with wide eyes. "So you are a robot." She looked at him up and down. "But why aren't you rusted? Surely those thunderstorms we've been getting slammed with for the past week, you would be rusty by now!" "Because I am constructed out of titanium. It doesn't rust." Hailey eyes lit up. "Oh! I've heard about titanium. We're actually studying the table of elements in our science class for this unit."

Zane had to do a double take. There were schools here?!

"Wait a second," Zane said. "Did you say 'schools'?" Hailey looked at him like he was crazy.

"Uh-yea. Ever heard of a school before?"

Zane just gaped.

"Ok," Hailey said, somewhat confused. "Let me explain to you. School is a magical place where you go to learn new things, meet new friends, eat, play, and get bored out of your mind more often than-"

"No, no, no! I know what a school is!" Zane said. "But-but-you have them here?!"

Hailey looked just as bewildered as Zane was now. "Well, _of course_ we do! If not, I wouldn't be standing here most likely!"

"B-b-but-uh-where I come from, they said that you were primitive and lived like savages!"

Hailey nearly collapsed to the ground with laughter. " _Savages_!" She howled. "Who ever came up with that?!" Hailey continued to laugh, and once she managed to stop, she wiped her eyes and suddenly shot Zane a serious look.

"Listen Zane. Think what you want to think. We're modern, but we don't advance in certain fields because we don't want to. I think flying cars are a bit overboard, don't you think?" Zane looked at her. That is odd, he thought. How does she know all about where he comes from but he was clueless about her origins? Then Hailey launched into another question. "This is another question I've been burning to ask you. Blizzard season is beginning, but it's on the rise early. How did you make it out of those mountains," she pointed towards the range and the one mountain rising above the rest in the west. "Alive? Or more likely, how did you even find your way here in the first place?" Zane became nervous. Mainly it was the dragon at the ravine and the Dark Archer in the mountains that helped him. But should he really tell her that now?

Zane sighed and reaccounted his journey from start to finish, telling Hailey that at the ravine and in the mountains, he was in such a daze that he couldn't remember what had happened. But Hailey listened to Zane's every word. She was amazed at how he made it this far under his circumstances. Hailey tried to convince Zane to dig deep and remember what happened, but he pretended that he just couldn't. Hailey soon gave up, knowing that it was all she was going to get for now. he finished, she just shook her head in amazement.

"Zane-that's a real long shot you did right there. Even for a robot…" She trailed off. How Zane survived with him being as hurt as he was, she would never know. If he wasn't in front of her right now, and given any less of a detailed description of his experience, she probably wouldn't believe him. But she did believe him, and that was all there was to it. Hailey started to feel hungry and reached for her lunch bag, when she remembered about Zane's too.

"How long has its been since you've eaten?" Hailey asked. Zane considered that. He couldn't remember. "I haven't eaten anything since…" Hailey pulled out a sandwich. "Does P.B.J sound good to you?" She held the sandwich out. "Does it?" Zane asked, with a grateful smile on his face. Hailey also passed him the water bottle and they both ate together. Once they finished, Zane noticed the case on her back and pointed to it.

"What's that?" "What's what?" Hailey asked, confused. Zane pointed again to the case. "Oh," Hailey said, finally knowing what he was asking about. "It's my six string."

Zane raised an eyebrow.

Hailey mentally facepalmed. "It's a guitar!" Hailey said, exasperated.

"Oh. I apologize." Zane said. "Oh, no, no, don't." Hailey said as she took the case off her back and opened it up, revealing a wooden acoustic guitar. "You want me to play it? Trust me, you have no idea what music can do for you." Zane nodded his head eagerly. Something to raise his spirits was something he totally needed. "Yes. Yes please." He said. "Alright then. Any song in particular?" Hailey asked while tuning the guitar. Zane thought. No song he knew was really played on a six string, that or Hailey wouldn't know how.

"No." Zane said. "Play whatever you like." Hailey grinned. "How I decide which song to play is weird." She explained. "I strum a few cords, and if it reminds me of a song, I'll play that song." Hailey looked down to her guitar and played some random notes, but when she played three, one after the other, she stopped, looked up to the gray sky as if she was thinking or looking for inspiration like it was up there, and grinned. Hailey launched into the intro to a song, and when Zane heard it, he couldn't help but think of the ghosts that were searching for him. "This is one of my favorite songs." Hailey said quickly before she began to sing.

 _"An old cowboy went out riding one dark and windy day…_

 _Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way_

 _When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw_

 _Plowing through the ragged skies,_

 _And up the cloudy draw._

 _(…)_

 _Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel,_

 _Their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel._

 _A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky!_

 _For he saw the Riders coming hard,_

 _And heard their mournful cry._

 _Yippee-yi yoooh…_

 _Yippee-yi yaaaay…_

 _Ghost Riders in the sky._

 _(…)_

 _Their eyes were gaunt, their faces blurred, their shirts all soaked in sweat_

 _He's riding hard to catch that herd but he ain't caught em yet_

 _Cause they got to ride for ever on that range up in the sky_

 _On horses snorting fire,_

 _As they ride on hear their cry._

 _As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name_

 _If you want to save your soul from Hell a-riding on our range,_

 _Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride,_

 _Trying to catch the Devil's herd_

 _Across these endless skies._

 _Yippee yi yooooh…_

 _Yippee yi yaaaay…._

 _Ghost Riders in the sky._

 _Ghost Riders in the sky._

 _Ghost Riders in the sky."_

 _(…)_

Hailey finished off strumming a few cords strongly and let the last note resonate in the air and fade away. She urged to Zane, grinning. "How do you like that?" Zane just had a stricken look on his face. Hailey suddenly became worried. "What? Is there something wrong?" "Listen," Zane's voice was a frightened whisper. "Those ghosts that were chasing me, they could still be out there. They're running loose in the forest. They might've been destroyed when that thunderstorm came in, but I wouldn't take any chances. You should get home before dark as soon as you can." Hailey cast a nervous glance behind her back, like she expected Bansha or Ghoultar to be standing behind her. She stared at him with wide eyes.

"You're kidding." She said. Zane shook his head. Based on the look in his icy blue eyes, Hailey knew he wasn't joking at all. She was starting to feel really scared, and she hated that feeling. So she decided to ask Zane about Ninjago to get it off her mind.

"So…what's Ninjago like?"

Zane was baffled by her question, because he didn't expect Hailey to be asking something like that. But he was glad, because he needed someone to talk to. He began to talk about how he was a nindroid, how Sensei Wu found him again, and so on. But he careful with his words, because all though Hailey seemed nice, you never know what lies beneath the surface. Hailey also began to talk about this place. Mt. Horn is what they called it, she told him. But she was also careful with what she said, because he was from Ninjago, and other races from there had tried to invade Mt. Horn in the past.

So, for the rest of the day, that's what they did until the sun was starting to get low in the west, all the bright colors seeming to set the sky on fire. Hailey saw this and got up.

"I gotta go. It's about to get dark soon." Hailey said handed Zane the other water bottle. "Here. This will hopefully help defend yourself against those ghosts in case they decide to come for you." Hailey cast a worried look at Zane. "Stay safe out here. I'll be back as early as I can tomorrow." Hailey bade Zane goodbye, mounted up on Ranger, and galloped off to home.

And for the next week, that's what Hailey did every day, "smuggling" food, water, and medical supplies from her house to Zane's hole. She noticed that every day she came, Zane's condition was starting to get worse. It was becoming harder to stay conscious, and the way he breathed was a nasty congested noise. Two complete days had gone by when he was thoroughly out cold. She always felt for a pulse when she came by and Zane was unconscious. It was always there, but getting weaker by the day. She fiercely prayed that no rough weather would pass by until Zane was safe somewhere.

 **K thanks for reading this I'll post the next part and fix this one ASAP.**

 **Try and guess the song Hailey sang. :)**

✌️


	14. Chapter 14: End of Pursuit part 2

**Sup I'm back! Wit chappie 14 this time :) Thank you to all that viewed my story, as i hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. I'm still trying to figure out how to do a few things, like making line breaks visible in chapters, so if anyone knows how to do that and upload images (I could only do two, otherwise it would show a blank screen when it's finished uploading), please tell me. So, Zane is finally found by some of my OCs in this chapter, and there is some more action towards the end.** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

It was just a normal day, Hailey had went to check on Zane and stayed with him as long as she could, went home, and avoided acting suspicious for the whole day.

That was, until the weather report came on at dinner.

Uncle Sam had turned on the news to see what this week's weather was going to be like, and Hailey almost spit out her corn when she heard that it was supposed to be thundering all week. She whipped around to see what the sky was like outside the front window. Already, dark, almost black clouds were gathering in the sky, and a bolt of lightning flickered through the air. A rumble rolled through the air, and Hailey winced. She didn't want to think about Zane being out there all alone.

Another rumble ran through, and this one shook the house a little bit. Uncle Sam had just set down his plate and had begun to eat when he saw Hailey flinch. Hailey never flinched during thunderstorms. She always ran to the window with her phone, trying to get pictures of the lightning bolts.

But now, here she was, flinching at every lightning bolt and clap of thunder that revealed itself.

"Is there something wrong?" Hailey continued to gaze out the window, but turned back to him with a sigh and shaking her head.

But Uncle Sam wasn't buying it.

He set down his fork.

 _Oh crap_ , Hailey thought. _He's getting serious._

Another round of thunder, this time it seemed to roar.

Hailey flinched horribly.

"There's something you're not telling me, Hailey. There's something bothering you. What is it?" Uncle Sam said in his soft but firm tone. Hailey sighed and thought. What would Uncle Sam do if she told him about Zane? Take him in? Leave him out to die? Put a bullet through his head? He was in the Mountain Guard after all. Then Hailey just threw random out. "Beibeis is out there. I'm worried for her." Hailey said. Uncle Sam cast Hailey a sympathetic look before going back to his dinner, but stopped mid-bite when the sound of fluttering wings and a cream colored streak whizzing through the air caused him to stop.

There, plopped right in the middle of the table sat Hailey's ring-necked turtle dove, Beibeis. She cocked her adorable little face at Hailey the way whenever she wanted to be petted.

Hailey just gaped at Beibeis. She looked at Uncle Sam, who had a now stern look on his face.

 _JEEZUS._

Thunder cracked through the sky again, and Hailey flinched worse than before. Now Uncle Sam really suspected something suspicious was going on. Hailey had suddenly taken interest at a piece of corn on the table when Uncle Sam placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed. "Look into my eyes, Hailey." She slowly met eyes with his. What Uncle Sam saw in those eyes was a mixed look of fear and guilt were clouding out the spark of curiosity in those brown orbs. Whatever she was lying about, it wasn't you're ordinary lie. Hailey was trying to mask something huge.

"Hailey. Tell me what's going on. I know you're up to something, so don't try to hide it from me."

At this point, Hailey knew that lying or doing anything to keep Uncle Sam from finding out was impossible. She took a deep breath and poured out all the things she knew. She told Uncle Sam everything, from the moment she found Zane to the last moment she saw him today. Uncle Sam listened thoroughly, he didn't interrupt her. Hailey said that was all she knew, but based on the way she avoided his gaze, he knew she wasn't. Uncle Sam pressed further, and Hailey finally said what she hoped she wouldn't have to.

"He's from Ninjago."

Uncle Sam suddenly blanched. Ninjago?! How in the….

"Hailey!" He barked, raising his voice. She flinched and cowered away. Uncle Sam never raised his voice at her, so she was really scared. "How come you didn't tell me! Didn't you pay attention in history class?!" He swung his hard glare upon Hailey, who shrunk back. "Why? Why didn't you tell me?" Hailey didn't answer. She was terrified of her uncle's sudden mood swing. He only stepped closer as she stepped back. "Well?!" He said. Hailey began to stammer. "Come on! I don't have all day!" Hailey muttered something he couldn't understand. "What did you say?" She muttered it louder, but he still couldn't hear. "Come on now! I ain't no jackrabbit!"

Hailey found the guts to say it.

"I-I was afraid you would kill him."

Uncle Sam suddenly stopped. Was this how Hailey saw him, a cold-hearted man that vowed to get rid of any outsiders that had tried to get to the valley? A man that would kill any outsider on-site, regardless? Just because the Mountain Guard Compact said to get rid of any outsiders found wandering the range, that didn't necessarily mean to kill them. But she didn't know that. Uncle Sam saw the hurt look in her eyes and instantly regretted scaring her. She was afraid of what he would do next. His eyes softened. He gently wrapped Hailey in a strong embrace. He stroked her head as she sobbed on his shoulder. She was scared and needed to calm down. After a few more minutes of crying, she finally regained herself. "Uncle Sam…he won't survive another night out there. We need to get him out of the gully. He's hurt. Bad." Uncle Sam glanced out the window. It was almost fully dark, and the storm was brewing. She's right. Uncle Sam thought. "Alright then. I'll get the truck started. Get on your quad and lead me to where he is." Hailey nodded, and went to get her helmet from her room, when she turned back to Uncle Sam.

"Also, bring your gun and some of those silver bullets of yours. He told me that there's a pair of killer ghosts roaming the woods. Being caught defenseless by some ghosts is one of the last things I want." Uncle Sam nodded. But he was bewildered too. Ghosts? He would bring his gun and silver bullets, but just if any wild animal decided to jump at them. He dashed upstairs after Hailey to get the gun and 2 rounds of silver bullets out of his gun safe in his room. He ran to the large black metal box in one corner, twisted in the code, and swung the door open. He opened a drawer in there, revealing 15 rounds of silver bullets in a special case. He opened it up and took out two of the special ammo and shut it. Then he reached for his gun, his only one besides the revolver. His hunting rifle. Uncle Sam took off the safety lock and rushed downstairs, grabbing the truck keys on his way out the door. When Uncle Sam stepped outside, he was immediately greeted by barraging winds and and drizzling rain. He clutched his gun and did his best to cover it so it wouldn't get wet. Uncle Sam fumbled with the keys, unlocked the truck and started it up. He saw the garage door opened, and Hailey came out on her quad. She signaled him to shut the garage door, and he pressed a button on the garage door opener. After it shut, Uncle backed out of the driveway, and they both met side-by-side at the road where it began to run out from town. Uncle Sam rolled down the window as Hailey pulled up.

"You lead!" He shouted over the wind. Hailey nodded, flipped on her headlights and took off for the gully, Uncle Sam following right behind her.

. . .

Hailey drove along, scanning the trees on her right to look for where they thinned out. She found it, she held up her hand to warn her uncle she was about to stop, and pulled over to the side. Uncle Sam did the same. She turned off her quad and ran over to the truck where the flashlight was in the backseat. She opened the door and grabbed it. Then turning it on, she beckoned Uncle Sam to follow her. They carefully picked their way down the slick stones and went for Zane's hiding spot. Hailey shined the light inside, and Uncle Sam yelped as a blinding light reflected back into his eyes. Covering them, he peered inside. When he saw Zane, how he was silver, unconscious, and hurt, he let a small hiss escaped between gritted teeth.

"So you weren't kidding when you said he was from Ninjago." Uncle Sam said, turning to Hailey. She shook her head. "He's a robot too." Hailey kneeled down and reached out to touch Zane's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Uncle Sam hissed. "Relax. I know what I'm doing" Hailey said. She prodded Zane's shoulder slightly. As she got nearer, she heard Zane's nasty breathing again.

Nothing.

She prodded a little harder.

Still nothing.

She prodded hard.

Still nothing.

She socked him on the shoulder.

Only a little flinch.

Hailey sighed and turned back to her uncle. "He's unresponsive. He won't move. He's alive, but his breathing is really short and all ragged." She turned back to Zane. "His pulse is also weak. We need to get him out of here." Uncle Sam just sighed. "We'll have to get him up to the truck. But now the ground's getting really sloppy, and I don't want to slip while I'm holding him." He took out his phone from his back pocket. "Wait-what are you doing?!" Hailey cried. She didn't want more people to get involved than it needed. "I'm calling Christopher and Tony to come help us. We can't move him by ourselves." Uncle Sam began to dial a number. "Wait here. I'll be right back." He walked up the slope back to the truck. He climbed back inside, just as someone finally picked up.

"Hello? Samuel? Is that you?"

"Yes, Christopher, it's me."

"What in the world are you doing out there Sam? I can hear the rain from wherever you are."

"Listen, I'm going to need your help. Hailey found someone out in the middle of the woods, and she's been keeping it from me for the past week, but she just led me out here about 10 minutes ago. Just wait till you see him." Uncle Sam added under his breath.

"Wait-did you-"

"Just come! Bring your gun and some silver bullets if you can. Also call Tony and tell him to do the same."

"But how do I find where you are?"

"Take the road that leads out of Elkhorn and just keep going straight. When you see my truck and Hailey's quad on the side of the road, pull over and meet is in the gully on the right side. You'll see us down there."

"Alright then. I'll come as soon as I can."

"Hurry, he's not going last much longer in this weather." Uncle Sam cast a worried glance outside as rain gushed over the windows and windshield. Christopher hung up, and Uncle Sam came back into the gully. Hailey had Zane on the ground, and she was shining the light over his body. Where she was shining the light, Uncle Sam saw gauze over his side and chest. There was silver soaking the bandages, and a bedraggled blanket was flung off to the side.

He stepped up to Hailey's side and nodded towards the bandages. "You did this?" Hailey just nodded. Then the sound of crunching dirt and headlights showing through the tree above got their attention.

"We're down here!" Uncle Sam called when two flashlights blinked on. Then the sound of people scrabbling down the edge was heard and two of Uncle Sam's friends came down. Christopher, a well-built man with reddish blonde hair, beard stubble, and sideburns, followed by Tony, who had shaggy, greasy black hair, mustache, and sideburns. They walked up to Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam began to explain, pointing over to Zane at one point. Christopher glanced across from Sam at Zane. A horrified look slashed across his face when he first caught sight of him.

"What the hell is that!?" Christopher whipped his .50 caliber from its holster and pointed it at Zane's head, loaded. He was about to pull the trigger, but Uncle Sam and Hailey stopped him.

"Hold your fire! If we do anything to hurt him, you can bet that the rest of Ninjago's gonna come storming in on us." He motioned for Christopher to put his gun away, and he did somewhat reluctantly. Tony also took his hand off the handle of his revolver with a sigh. "Alright. Hailey, you get his shoulders, Tony, you get one arm, I'll get the other. Be careful, one of them is broken. Christopher, you pick him up by the legs."

Tony and Christopher took a step back.

"Your expecting us to get him out of here?" They said almost at the same time.

"That's the whole reason why Uncle Sam called you in the first place." Hailey said incredulously.

"But where are you going to keep him?" Tony interjected.

"At our house." Uncle Sam said.

Tony and Christopher were at loss for words. Uncle Sam didnt like it either, but he had to if he wanted to know how this person got in here. Tony made a move to speak, but stopped when an eerie feeling suddenly came over him. Hailey also felt it. "You feel that?" Everyone else nodded. Tony, Sam, and Christopher all loaded their guns. They had no idea where the the feeling came from or what, but they wanted to be ready in case of it was something and it decided to show itself. Hailey was looking along the trees, when she saw something glowing.

"What's that?" She pointed, and everyone turned to look.

There was something glowing green at the top of the rise. Nobody knew what is was. But that's where they assumed the creepy feeling was coming from.

The men clutched their guns. Hailey even began to draw out a hunting knife she carried for self defense.

Nothing followed but silence, but their was rising tension in the air as the time dragged.

A horrible ear piercing shriek ripped through the air.

Uncle Sam fell to his knees, hands over his ears. Everyone also sank to the ground, one by one, all covering their ears. Another green figure bolted down the side of the gully. The screaming stopped, and Uncle Sam got up, but was tackled by Ghoultar. Then he grabbed Sam by the throat and picked him up. Sam struggled, but his fists kept going through Ghoultar's body. Sam felt the strength fading from his arms and his vision was started to darken. Ghoultar laughed and dropped him. Bansha came and raise her sword to stab Sam in the chest, but then Hailey got up and flew at Ghoultar, intending to take him out like a linebacker does with a quarterback. Hailey yelled and dove for Ghoultar, but was surprised to go flying through him. She landed a ways a way with a thud. She got up slowly. I think I broke a rib. She thought.

Sam was semi-conscious, on the ground, and with a murderous ghost about to stab him. He looked to the side and saw his rifle laying a ways away and reached for it, but Ghoultar kicked it away. There was know way he would get out of this situation now. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain of a blade sinking into his chest to come.

Tony took out his revolver, loaded a silver bullet, and aimed directly for the ghost's chest. Just as she was starting to shriek again, Tony pulled the trigger.

Bansha had saw Zane laying unconscious, but wanted to take care of the other people first. Ghoultar had just threw one man onto the ground, so she decided that he would be her first target.

Bansha laughed, prepared to strike, and inhaled to scream. That would be the last thing he would ever hear. But only two seconds after she started to scream, a loud boom, followed by a silver blur ripped through her chest, Bansha erupted into a burst of green cytoplasm. Ghoultar leapt to the side and tried to run into the forest, but Christopher stepped in his way, a loaded gun pointed at his face. Ghoultar tried for his left, but found Tony with his revolver too. Ghoultar gulped and started to back away, but stopped when he felt the cold metal of Sam's rifle lightly touching his back. Ghoultar panicked and bolted to his right, where no one was covering him. Sam shouted and they all began to chase after Ghoultar. Sam lifted his rifle and aimed, but the bullet went whizzing into the dirt just behind the ghost. Sam gave a frustrated sigh and reloaded. Tony, Sam, and Christopher all tried shooting at Ghoultar, but they all missed. Eventually Sam stopped and signaled the others to stop too.

"Ah, let him run. He won't last long in this rain." Tony and Christopher cast a glance at where Ghoultar disappeared into the trees before heading back.

Zane had woke up sometime during the commotion, but nobody noticed it because either they were about to get killed, were recovering from smashing into the gully side, or hunting Ghoultar down. Even now, Hailey didn't notice he was awake (somewhat) until she was finally able to walk without her ribs driving her crazy. But when she saw his glowing eyes through the rain, she quickly ran over to him. Just then, Sam and his friends came back.

"Hailey, are you ok?" Sam called to her. Hailey nodded and looked back down to Zane. He was slipping out of consciousness and was shivering. "Come on! We need to get him out of here!" Sam, Christopher, and Tony all raced over to Zane. Everyone took up the spot where Sam had told them to go before. Zane was still hanging on, but he was fading fast. He saw figures surrounding him, but then soon became unaware of the feeling of him being carried up the gully and placed carefully into the back of a truck, and the voices telling him everything was going to be okay.

Once Zane was laying on the bed of Sam's truck, Christopher clambered up with him, so Zane wouldn't fall out or anything like that. Tony hopped in his red pickup and started it up while Hailey rode to the front. She looked at Sam, and he signaled for her to lead again. They all followed her quad back to the quiet village of Elkhorn.

Hailey threw open the door as Sam, Tony, and Christopher all came racing in, carrying an unconscious Zane on their shoulders. Hailey threw off all the pillows on the couch except one as they set him down on it.

Sam turned to Hailey. "Quick, get me a blanket, the disinfectant, and a roll of gauze!" Hailey raced off upstairs, almost tripping on the bottom one on her way up. Less that thirty seconds later, she came back down, her arms full of the stuff Sam had asked for. Sam took the disinfectant and began to rip off Zane's old bandages. When Sam saw the gain in Zane's side, he gasped.

"How in the world did he get that?!" Tony and Christopher were also eyeing the cut. He turned to Hailey. "He told me Morro stabbed him." Hailey blurted. Sam wanted to ask who Morro was, but he focused back to Zane.

Christopher and Tony had to help with Zane's back wound, but soon all of his wounds were re-bandaged and disinfected. Hailey threw he blanket over Zane once Sam was finished. Zane made no sign of noticing anything that happened.

"What are you going to do about your truck?" Sam asked Christopher. "Don't worry about it, Sam. I'll get it tomorrow."

"Do you want me to drive you?"

"No, I'll drive him." Tony said.

They left it at that. After Sam made sure they wouldn't tell another living soul about what happened, he bade them a good night. He shut the door and sighed. He looked over to Hailey who was looking at Zane, worried. Her shirt was soaked and mud was smeared all over it.

"Hailey, you should get in the shower. You can come back down when you're done." Hailey went upstairs and came back down, clean and in her pajamas. Sam had lit a fire in the fireplace while she was busy, and Juneau was laying down at the bottom of the couch and looking at Zane. She looked around. Uncle Sam wasn't in the kitchen or the room, so she guessed he was probably in his room drying off his gun and inspecting it to make sure it wasn't damaged. She was the only one down here, apart from Zane and Juneau, and it was quiet except the sound of the fire and Zane's weird breathing. She looked down at Zane's face, and it was full of pain. Hailey sighed. But she was relieved that he was ok.

"It's all going to be okay Zane. You're safe now."

 **Well, did you like it? Yes? No? Plz review, I thoroughly enjoy reading your thoughts on this story (NO SWEARING), tips and advice greatly appreciated, and comment anything you think could make this story more awesome (I will give you full credit, I'm not one for stealing). Stay AZOME!**


	15. Chapter 15: In Mt Horn Hands

**Heeeey I'm back with another chappie! I need to update Fight for Freedom, that chapter's in progress. It should be up next weekend, hopefully. And for those of you wondering, I have no plan to make any ZanexOC moves WHATSOEVER, just sayin that to get it across. Nuthin else to say really, except**

 **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

It had been three days since they had gotten Zane out of that gully and into the house. Hailey and Uncle Sam took turns changing Zane's bandages, watching him, and watching out the window for any signs of the ghosts. Although Zane's breathing started to sound somewhat better, he still hadn't woken up since then. Until the middle of the night.

Zane woke up with a start. He jolted awake, but then it caused pain in a ton of different places to flare. His side throbbed. His arm hurt just as bad. His vision was blurry. His mouth was bone dry. His head hurt really bad. Zane make a move to clutch his head with his _good_ hand. Even that hurt. Zane sighed and gently let his arm down. He was too sore to move at all. He sighed. Sudd he was aware of the feeling of something covering him, and he was on something soft. He also heard the sound of crackling and popping like burning wood. Zane let his head fall to the side and saw a smudge of glowing orange flickering.

"Whoa." Zane said as his vision suddenly snapped into focus, startling him.

Zane saw, in front of him, a fireplace with stone veneering (fake stone) in different tones of brown instead of bricks, with a fire blazing warmly in its center. Some ways above it was a dark rectangle shape, and above that was a deer head up on a plague, it's horns casting a creepy shadow one the polished wood ceiling above. Right in front of the fireplace was a low coffee table with a cowhide stretching across the top and a large elk antler laying on the hide. There were also some coasters and other things you would usually see on a coffee table. Zane glanced up at the deer head and shuddered. He could've sworn that those marble eyes were staring at him. He started to wonder where he was. When he saw the wooden beams that made up the ceiling, he thought for a split second he was home safe and sound. But then he caught sight of the deer head, the flicker of hope inside was blown out. Zane did his best to look around the room, but he was too sore to move and what he could see was enveloped in darkness. He suddenly felt a wave of nausea come over him. Zane closed his eyes and tried to fall back to sleep.

. . .

Ever since Zane had been stabbed my Morro, he was able to sleep in some uneasy peace. He was in a deep sleep until..

"YEEEEOOOOW!"

Zane quickly bolted upright, but instantly regretted it when a fierce flash of searing pain bit into his side. He layer back down, but not before seeing what had disturbed his sleep.

Hailey was at the foot end of the couch, hopping around on one foot, holding the other. She had her eyes closed and was yelling like she had hurt herself.

"OH SWEET CRAPPING CHEEZITS THAT HURT LIKE A MOTHER!"

Hailey continued to hop around. Zane saw that there were blistering red spots on her foot like something hot touched them. Zane lifted his head as much as he could and saw a bowl of steaming soup at a table at the foot end. There was some noodles and broth slipped on the side, so Zane assumed she accidentally spilled some.

"Ow, ow, OW!," Hailey yelped "FREAK. It's hurts, ow, ow, ow…ok. It's gone…somewhat." Zane heard Hailey limp off somewhere, heard the sound of something being opened, then a sigh of content from Hailey. She came back with a towel to wipe up the spilt soup.

Zane lay still. He was still too sore to move. He tried to talk, but his throat was too dry. He inhaled deeply and (this is gonna sound weird) almost choked on his own breath. Whenever he inhaled, a stabbing pain went through his lungs. So it still hurt to breathe. Zane moaned softly and closed his eyes. Hailey's head suddenly shot up as she heard it.

Hailey cast a glance around.

"Zane?," Hailey asked in a low voice. "Is that you?"

"Yes.." Zane barley managed to croak. He heard the sound of something being flung aside and the sound of Hailey scuffling up to him.

"Oh my lord, I was worried you would never wake up!" Hailey stopped a distance from Zane. He wasn't from here, and although he seemed friendly, she was still wary. Hailey suddenly felt something furry brush against her and she jumped nervously to the side, but when she saw it was only Juneau, she relaxed. Juneau walked up right next to the couch and nudged one of Zane's hands that hung limply of the couch, but Zane didn't seem to notice it.

"How long have I been out?" Zane muttered weakly. Hailey thought for a moment.

"Hang on a sec." Hailey glanced up to the ceiling in thought. She began to mutter very quietly to herself. Then she shrugged in befuddlement.

"I can't remember. I think it was two or three days. It was definitely two for sure, no less than that, but I can't remember if it was-"

"Three days." Said a gruff voice behind Zane. Hailey jumped a couple feet and looked like she'd just been tazed.

"Uncle Sam what did I tell you abo-!"

Zane opened his eyes and saw another man's face above his. To Zane, he looked a lot like the mailman back at Sensei's old monastery, except he had a more grizzled look with the facial hair and it was a brown, with some grey in the facial, and brown eyes behind a set of square-framed glasses.

Hailey hadn't even noticed her uncle was down here until he spoke. She was still recovering from that jumpscare.

Zane made an effort to talk.

"Where am I?" Zane tried to look around the room before letting his gaze settle on who Hailey seemed to call 'Uncle Sam'. "And who are you?"

"Tell me what you're doing here, and who you are, and I might as well return the favor." Uncle Sam said. He hated being so stiff to someone who had just woken up after being unconscious for three days, but he was not from here, so Uncle Sam didn't trust him.

Zane was confused now. He had no idea where he was, the man was asking why he was here, he didn't know who the man was, but he was demanding to know Zane's identity. .

"I'm waiting."

Zane told a basic version of the story he told Hailey. He was too weak to go in depth much into the story.

And, like with Hailey, he did not tell him about the dragon and the Dark Archer.

Uncle Sam listened intently to his story, but when it came to Zane saying he was the master of ice…

"No. You must be lying."

For some weird reason, the song "Why You Lyin'" randomly started to play in Hailey's head.

 _Why you always lyin'?_

 _Mmm, oh my gosh_

 _Stop (…) Lyin!_

"It is true." Zane muttered. He looked on the verge of slipping out again.

"Prove it." Uncle Sam said flatly.

"I can't. I'm too…weak." Zane now sounded like he was slipping out as well.

Uncle Sam just decided to say his name.

"My name is Samuel." He said. Zane weakly nodded before his head lolled to one side. He was unconscious again.

Samuel turned to Hailey.

"You can go feed the horses. I'll watch him."

Although it was early in the morning, Hailey slipped on her boots and went outside. Ranger loped up the the fence. Hailey stroked his nose. Ranger nudged her, looking for an apple. Hailey grinned and scratched her horse's neck. Whenever Hailey was around Ranger, she felt and odd sense of calm.

"Sorry, Ranger. No apple as for right now. I'll give you two tomorrow."

Hailey fed the horses and went back inside.

Hailey slipped back through the door and looked to her uncle in case she needed to do anything else. He shook his head, which meant she was done with chores for the day. Hailey went up to her room to play her guitar.

The rest of the day passed like any other day (besides the fact that you have a wounded elemental master in your house). Zane was unconscious for the next day and a half.

. . .

Hailey woke up at sunrise. She yawned and threw off her covers. She wasn't hungry just yet, so she decided not to go downstairs right now. Instead she listened to the sound of birds chirping and zooming by her window. But after awhile, she just got up and grabbed one of her but oks to read.

Reading the Lost Heir for the fifth time. Yay. Hailey thought as she flipped to a random page and started reading.

. . .

Hailey, still in her pajamas, trudged down the stairs to get something to eat. After that, she decided she would send one of her friends, Izzy, a game invite.

Hailey walked into the kitchen. There was nobody there except for Zane who was still unconscious or sleeping. She grabbed the box of of cinnamon toast crunch and set it on the table. Then she went into the cupboard for a bowl, and then went for a spoon in one of the drawers near the sink. She pour the cereal into the bowl, put the spoon in, and walked over to the refrigerator to get some milk. She pour the milk into her cereal before putting it back, and started to eat while the songs "Why You Lyin'" and "Billie Jean" flipped back and forth in between her mind.

When she was done eating, Hailey put the bowl in the sink and rinsed it off before walking over into the living room and turning on her Xbox, making sure the volume was low would not bug Zane. Off to the side or her Xbox was sitting, their lay a pile of different games. Hailey sifted through these games until she found the one she was looking for. Popping open the box, Hailey carefully took out the disc and placed it carefully in the disc slot of her Xbox. Once it said that it was loaning the disc, she grabbed a controller from a pile of controllers that lay next to the games. She sat down in front of the coffee, not wanting to be too close to Zane. She reached for her headphones, which were always on the shelf under the table when she wasn't using them. Hailey quickly went on her friends list, looked for the name Fearless Knight, and sent an invite to Izzy to play GTA. She really needed something to get her away from all this hecticness. She was careful not to say anything about Zane to Izzy.

Hailey went on the game and patiently waited for Izzy in her house. As soon as Izzy joined, they were both connected by their headphones.

"Sup Hailey." A somewhat childish voice said at the other end. "Sup." She replied. "Where are you?"

"I'm at Brandin's house. I'm wondering if he stole my car-oh shoot!"

"What?! What is it?!"

"My car! He stole it! And your quad is in here too!" Izzy yelled.

"WHAT?! What does he want with that?! He has a Lamborghini and he stole that fighter jet, like, twice!"

"IDK why, but I'm taking my car back." Izzy got in his car and drove out of the garage, smashing the door on his way out. "Where's your house at again?"

Hailey gave him directions and soon pulled up, obliterating Hailey's truck in the process. Hailey heard the explosion and ran outside.

"IZZY YOU BLEW UP MY TRUCK YOU SON OF A GUN!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Yo give me a lift so I can get my quad."

Hailey climbed on the hood of Izzy's car.

"What are you doing?" Izzy laughed.

"Just drive!"

. . .

Hailey went to Brandin's garage. Sure enough a red quad was parked neatly.

"Brandin…"

She got on it and was about to drive to her house until..

"Hailey, come look at this!"

Izzy was in the backyard. She walked up-

No way.

There was a chopper sitting in the backyard.

"Izzy, I think I know what to do with this.."

. . .

"Alright," Izzy said, at the helicopter's controls with Hailey sitting next to him. "You ready?"

"Yea," Hailey said. "Let's go."

Izzy lifted off, heading for the airfield where the jets and choppers were. Soon they were hovering over it.

"Lower." Hailey said as Izzy lowered the helicopter. She didn't want to be wasted.

"Lower." It didn't look too far down, but then again…

"Lower."

"Hailey, if we go any lower, were probably gonna get hit by a tank or some crap like that."

"Alright, fine! Watch for tanks alright?"

"Gotcha covered."

Hailey jumped out of the helicopter and ran like mad to the nearest hangar, where two fighter jets were kept. Dodging gunfire, she ran across the runway. Soon she reached the hangar and climbed into the jet.

"Yes…"

Hailey drove the jet to the runway.

"Yes!"

The jet moved down the runway, slow at first, but soon gathering more momentum until it was hurtling at the fence. Hailey had the jet thrust, and it lifted gracefully into the air.

"YES!"

Hailey, in her excitement, did a barrel roll and flew straight into a building., the jet creating a magnificent explosion.

WASTED, the screen said.

Hailey couldn't do anything but stare at the screen with the really? look on her face.

"Well, crap."

. . .

Izzy climbed into a garbage truck and started to drive it around, smashing everything in his way.

"They said I could become anything," he began. "So I became a garbage man."

Hailey desperately tried to bite back a laugh.

Then she happened to notice some guys surrounding a 64 Impala.

She ran over, punched one of the guys out of the way, climbed inside, and sped away.

"Cruisin' down the street in ma 6-4, jockin' the freaks, clocking the dough."

Izzy started laughing off the hook.

. . .

Hailey and Izzy were going to steal a jet again.

Hailey jumped out of the helicopter. "Watch for tanks."

"Yea, yea. I won't let any tank take us down."

No sooner had Hailey walked three steps from the helicopter that it exploded into smithereens. They were both wasted.

"God dang it Izzy I said watch for tanks!"

Izzy did his best impression of the Best Cry.

. . .

"Hey Hailey! Come look! I got a Lamborghini! It was just sitting around! Come hurry!"

Hailey raced to Izzy's spot. But when she got there, she didn't see Izzy sitting in a Lamborghini, like he said, but a run down, crappy car.

Hailey was in disbelief. He was such a liar! Then something stirred in her mind.

Oh no…

Before Hailey could stop herself, she began to sing:

Why the crap you Lyin

Why you always Lyin

Mmmm, oh my gosh

Stop crappin Lyin!

Always lying to me!

Always lying so much!

You're making it hard for me!

Then Hailey heard Izzy laugh so hard that she thought he was going to legit have a heart attack.

. . .

Hailey and Izzy signed off from the game. Hailey turned off her Xbox and sighed. She had no idea what to do.

Then she heard the noise of something stirring behind her.

. . .

Zane opened his eyes. His head was throbbing again. Well his whole body was throbbing, but more centered around his injuries. Zane tried to move, but pain rocked his body and subdued him. Zane's throat was on fire. It was even more painful to breathe now. His vision was hazy.

Hailey glanced carefully behind her. She saw Zane's crystal blue eyes half open. He was waking up again. Uncle Sam would want to question him. Hailey quickly slinked away as quietly as she could, not wanting to startle or alarm Zane. She tiptoed up the stairs and shuffled down the hallway before knocking on her uncle's door.

"Come in." She cracked open the door and stuck her head inside. Samuel was making his bed.

"Zane's awake, and I thought you wanted to finish questioning him."

Samuel whipped around. "He is?" Hailey nodded.

"Come on."

Samuel went quickly down the stairs and to the couch where Zane was. He was still awake; Zane cowered slightly when he saw Samuel. He didn't like the look he gave him when they first came face-to-face.

"Alright," Samuel said, leaning casually against the top of the couch. "You and me still have some unfinished business to talk about." Zane felt really uncomfortable and nervous. He told him about how he got here, what else did he possibly want to know?

Oh, right. He wanted to know more about his background.

But Zane didn't want to give anything about him to a total stranger.

So Zane just kept his mouth shut.

But Samuel pressed him on. Zane gave in and tried to speak, but could barley manage a weird sounding croak. His throat was too dry to talk. He gave Samuel and Hailey a pleading look.

Uncle Sam raised an eyebrow while Hailey cocked her head to the side in confusion.

Zane looked down to his good arm. He clenched his jaw as he moved his arm. He pointed towards his throat and made some sort of motion with his hand at his mouth. But the two look completely mystified as before.

"I think he's trying to tell us something, but he has to use his hands because he can't talk." Hailey guessed, and Zane nodded eagerly. Zane pointed this throat, looked around the room, saw the bright smudge of the crackling fire in the fireplace, and pointed to that. When Hailey and Samuel didn't seem to get it, he pointed back and forth from the fire and his throat.

"Ok, I'm going out on a limb here and saying your throat's on fire." Zane nodded slowly, but made a motion with his arm that seemed to say close.

Hailey looked between Zane and the fire. She thought for a long while, but was soon stumped.

"Wait," Samuel interjected. "Can you write what you're trying to say?"

Zane shook his head. His arm felt like it would give out any second just from moving it; he certainly wouldn't be able to write one word.

"Ok, wait. I think I got this now." Hailey said. "Your throat is dry?"

Zane nodded as fast as he could, trying to tell her that was spot-on.

"And what do you want us to do about that?" Samuel asked.

Zane made a wavy motion with his hand to signify water.

Hailey understood what what he was trying to say. "You're saying that your throat's dry and you need water?"

Zane nodded.

Hailey looked to Samuel for permission. "You may." He said. Hailey got up, grabbed a cup out of the cupboard and filled it with water and handed it to her uncle. He took the cup and turned to Zane. "Only little sips. I don't want your body to get overwhelmed by a wave of moisture, okay?" Zane nodded weakly.

While Samuel held the cup, Zane took tiny sips, but the cold water quenching his thirst felt really satisfying but whenever he tried to take bigger gulps the cup was pulled away. When the water was gone, Zane tried to speak.

"My name is Zane." He said. His voice was almost normal-sounding, but still scratchy. Samuel nodded.

"Alright. You say you come from Ninjago. Is that true?"

"Yes." Zane said. "That is correct."

"Do you have any family there?" Samuel asked.

Just then a gloomy feeling settled in Zane's stomach like bricks. He was still, he didn't know how many, miles and miles away from everyone and everything he ever loved.

"Yes." Zane said slowly and hesitatingly. He really didn't want to talk about this anymore. Samuel noticed his sad expression.

"You have someone special back at home, don't you?"

When Zane didn't answer, he knew that Zane did have someone he loved back at home, wherever that may be. It dawned on Samuel that Zane never meant to come here on purpose. He was driven by the ghosts that tried to kill him like a cow and a mountain lion. Samuel saw Zane cast a wistful glance out the window towards the cloudy sky. Suddenly a look of fiery determination flared in Zane's icy blue eyes.

"My brothers," Zane muttered. "I must get back to them, however I can." Then before Hailey or Samuel could stop him, Zane threw the blanket off and tried to stand. No sooner had Zane set both feet on the ground, his knees wobble and a wave of nausea came over him, he swayed, and he fell to the floor. He landed on his broken arm after firmly knocking his head on the edge of the coffee table. Zane cried out in pain.

"WHOA! Stop! You're gonna hurt yourself!" Hailey yelped. Samuel and Hailey helped Zane back onto the couch.

"She's right, buck-rodger, you can't leave just yet."

"W-why not?" Zane sputtered as the blanket was thrown back over him.

"First off, you're not strong enough to make the trip back. If you want to get back, you'd have to go by battleship. There's storms constantly blowing over the sea this time of year, and even if you were able to stand up to it, blizzard season's on the rise early, so we wouldn't be able to get out of the range anyway." Hailey said matter-of-factly.

"How long would it take for me to get my strength back?" Zane asked.

"How long have you been running for?" Samuel said right back.

Zane thought for a moment. "About a week and a half, two weeks maybe."

Hailey counted silently off her fingers before saying "Then it would take you probably three months to recover, and then another two for the snowstorms to clear up." She looked back to Zane. She didn't want to say how long he would have to wait until they could get back home, because she knew Zane would totally flip out if she did.

But she had to, anyway.

"So…about 5…months." Hailey said unsurely.

"FIVE MONTHS?! I DON'T FIVE MONTHS! MORRO WOULD TAKE OVER NINJAGO IN FIVE MONTHS AT HIS RATE! AND MY CALCULATIONS SAY-!" Zane had to stop because the pain intensified so black blotted out his vision. He swayed awkwardly, but Hailey and Samuel caught him and settled him down. It was like all the pain was sucking up his energy again.

"Do you have anything the pain?" Zane muttered. He didn't know if painkillers would work in nindroids, but it was worth a try.

"Lemme see…" Hailey said. Zane heard Hailey walking away, a cabinet door opening, followed by the sound of bottles being moved around.

"Uncle Sam! Do we have any more Ibuprofen left?" She said after awhile.

"We do. I just moved it."

"Where?"

"Second cabinet to your left."

"How much should we give him?"

"Two for now."

Soon Hailey came back with two tablets of Ibuprofen and a glass of water.

"You know how to take a pill, right?" She asked.

Zane nodded.

"Are you able to hold the cup?"

"Let me try." He mumbled.

The fact

Hailey handed him the cup. Zane was able to hold it long enough to take the painkillers. Hailey took the cup and put it in the sink while Samuel lit a fire in the fireplace, since it was overcast and really cold outside.

"Hey Uncle Sam," Hailey said once they sat back down. "What time does the game start?"

"Five. We have awhile." He replied.

"Uh-game?" Zane asked, confused. He had no idea what they were talking about.

"Yea. A football game." Hailey turned to Zane. "You know…oh wait-"

"Are you hungry at all?" Samuel interrupted. "I mean, you have been on the run for about two weeks…"

Now that he mentioned it, Zane realized he was famished. He hadn't eaten since he wa brought in.

"If it isn't too much trouble, yes."

Samuel got up and soon came back with a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup. He set it on the coffee table before turning to Hailey.

"You kept him a secret from me, so as a punishment you have to feed him until he can feed himself."

"What?!" Hailey cried. She turned to Zane frantically. "You can feed yourself, can't you?!"

Zane shook his head helplessly.

"Nope. Don't argue with me." Samuel said sternly, but when he turned back to head upstairs, Zane saw that he was smiling.

Hailey sighed. She got up, grabbed a spoon, and head back to the couch.

I swear, Hailey thought as she scooped some soup out of the bowl. If I could pay someone to do this…

. . .

"Well, glad that's over." Hailey said as she put the spoon and bowl in the sink. Zane already felt some strength returning, and managed to prop himself up on a shaking elbow. Hailey went upstairs to get dressed (she was still in her pajamas) and came down wearing one of the most bizarre things Zane had ever seen.

Hailey wore a forest green shirt with a two yellow lines and a while one at the neck with the same pattern repeating on the short sleeve edges. She was wearing a plain white long sleeve shirt underneath. She wore a green and yellow scarf with either a brown looking ball thing, a strange looking helmet with a "G" symbol on them, and the same symbol by itself.

And then he saw the slice of foam cheese on her head.

Hailey came to sit on the floor in front of the TV, and Zane was eyeing her up and down because he had never seen anything like it.

"What's all that for?" He asked.

"For the football game. Everyone who has a jersey or anything like this wears it when their team is playing, or just because they want to." Hailey explained.

Hailey turned o. The tv and flipped to a station. NFL Sunday Ticket, it said.

"Wha-"

"It's because none of our games are local." Hailey said quickly, cutting Zane off.

"Hush up. The game's on."

A big shield shape that was red, white, and blue, studded with stars, and had "NFL" in red letters passed over the screen as some music came on.

"Welcome to Kia's Sunday night kickoff."

Then the same symbol that Hailey wore and a orange and navy blue horse head appeared with the words "The Undefeated" underneath.

Some team stats appeared on the screen as some anouncers talked about them. A coach, for the "Raiders" as Zane presumed, spoke about his team. Then they moved on to a reporter who was talking about the team

Then the scene

Then they moved on to the Packers.

They talked about some game highlights, commenting on different players and their plays.

After that, some commercials came on.

Hailey was in favor, and soon Zane gave in as well.

. . .

"I'm so nervous." Hailey said. "If we lose our undefeated streak…"

"I am too." Samuel said

There was an areal view of the stadium and footage of players on both sides rallying them selves.

Some more highlights, and soon kickoff insured.

All players lined up, except for one, who put a football on the ground. Another ran up and kicked it, and the Broncos ran after it.

One of the Broncos caught it and began running in the opposite direction and was soon barraged by the Packers.

Zane watched with interest throughout the whole game, as he was intrigued as to how sophisticated the games were. Hailey clarified something whenever he was confused, such as the first, fourth down, touchdown, interceptions, and penalties. "A perfect night in Mt. Horn underneath a starry sky and there is much star power on the ground as the Packers clash with the Broncos." A reporter said. Hailey cheered when the Packers made a good drive or sacked the Broncos quarterback, and was frustrated when the Broncos intercepted the ball or sacked the Packers quarterback, or when the Broncos made a touchdown.

"I knew I had bad vibes about this game." She said.

. . .

The final score was 10-29.

The Packers had their winning streak broken.

"It's weird," Hailey said as she got up. "I'm not happy, but I'm not itching to punch the tv either."

"Well I'm disgusted. I thought that would be a closer game. Might as well be a shut-out." Samuel said. He didn't look too happy.

"I'm gonna get back in my PJs now, be right back." Hailey said before going upstairs.

Once Hailey came back down…

"Alright. Who's in favor for some hot chocolate?"

"Me." Hailey said, raising her hand.

"Ok, that's one. Zane what about you?"

"Yes, as that would be very pleasant." Zane said in a low voice. He still didn't have much strength, if virtually any.

"Okay then. I got some peppermint mocha coffee creamer the other day, does anyone want it in theirs?"

"I do!" Hailey said eagerly.

"I would like to try it." Zane said.

"Okay. We've also got whip cream, cinnamon, chocolate syrup to put on top, some cinnamon sticks, and some powdered chocolate. Who want what?"

"I want the whip cream, powdered chocolate, the cinnamon stick and-oh, do we have Oreos?"

"Yea. I just got some. What about you?" Samuel was referring to Zane.

"I would like just some whip cream, thank you." Zane said as he forced a weak smile.

Just as Samuel was bringing back the two steaming mugs of chocolate, rain was beginning to land on the window, with a frigid breeze carrying it. Zane heard the wind rattling against the window pane. Hailey held the cup for Zane until he felt like he could sip while letting his arm rest for a few minutes before sipping again. He was still really weak; his elbow gave out five times while watching the game.

Hailey soon went to slurping her own, with chocolate drizzled over the whip cream, the powdered chocolate over that, the Oreos crumbled up and sprinkled over the powdered chocolate, and a cinnamon stick sticking out to give the coca a hint of cinnamon.

Zane watched as Samuel threw some wood onto the fire, the embers giving off a comforting warm glow as they flew in the fireplace. The fire crackled cheerfully, filling the living room with a comforting warmth that Zane thought he would never probably feel again. He was especially thankful for the blanket too. It was almost heavenly after the deathly cold air of the mountains and the cold rain after that. Then everyone went to their. rooms for bed, (after Samuel was sure Zane would be fine for the night, of course).

"Are you sure you don't want the hallway light on?" Samuel asked him "I mean, I sleep fine with on or off."

"No. I'm fine, thank you." Zane said weakly.

Samuel nodded before No. I'm fine, thank you." Zane said weakly.

Soon the house was dark and quiet, except for the fire that still burned in the fireplace. Zane, with a sigh, closed his eyes, with the warmth of the fire on his face. Zane knew he would be able to sleep in total peace, because he knew that Hailey, if he read her correctly, wouldn't do a thing in the world to hurt him intentionally, and Samuel...he seemed friendly, but he was a bit stiff, probably because-well-he was suspicious, but that was because he was a robot. And Zane could understand that. His brothers were that same way-

Zane suddenly felt a stab of guilt in his chest. He was still in a completely strange land, with little, if any, knowledge of anything they do here. Not to mention he was miles and miles away from them. Zane assured himself that he would get back to them, but always felt the same sinking feeling in his stomach when he remembered how long it would take. Five months...Ninjago didn't have that time. And he certainly didn't have that time either. But then he remembered about what Hailey said about the blizzards, and decided that he would have to tough it out. It was better getting there late instead of risking it and never getting there at all.

Suddenly the sound of claws scrabbling on the floor startled Zane out of his thinking. He tensed, but then relaxed when he felt a warm tounge licking him arm. It was just Juneau.

"Oh. It's just you." Zane muttered. He heard Juneau lie down on the floor next to him, and also the thump-thump-thump of Juneau's tail hitting the floor. Juneau sneezed, which caused Zane to smile a little. At least there was someone he could trust. Although Zane trusted Hailey somewhat because she helped him hold out until he was brought in, he barely knew her. And Samuel, although he showed kindness, he would take a little time getting used to. He just scared Zane a little, that's all. Samuel was a big, imposing man, and he looked a bit...wild.

Zane sighed. He could go on, but now drowsiness was starting to take over. Zane didn't fight the sleepy feeling. He actually enjoyed it after being chased by ghosts that wanted to bring him to Morro. Zane let his eyes close, knowing that he was safe now. He fell asleep, wondering where his brothers were and if they had the slightest idea where he was.

. . .

"Come on, now." Kai growled, jabbing a small button for about the thirtieth time. "He's got to be _somewhere_."

The ninja had searched to every corner of Ninjago possible to find Zane, but with Ninjago such luck. They stopped by every village, every town, every city, always asking everyone they saw the same question. 'Have you seen Zane come through here?' But everyone said they hadn't, otherwise they would said so weeks ago.

So now they were at Borg Industries as a last hope, trying to track Zane down with his beacon (thanks to Jay who remembered about it).

Cole, Jay, Kai, and Sensei Wu were gathered in front of a large screen in Cyrus's headquarters which showed a full-scale map of Ninjago, longitude and latitude, and the scale for kilometers per inch onscreen. Whenever they pressed the button to find Zane's signal, it would jump around the map for a few minutes, but then come up with nothing. They were on the thirty-fifth round when Jay started assuming the worst.

"It's still not coming up. Do you think he's-" Jay started, but Kai quickly cut him off.

"No. Zane isn't the one for quitting. He's still out there, and I know it." Just then the sound of an elevator opening caused everyone to turn around.

"Is there any sign of him yet?" Cyrus asked, his voice panicing and edgy. He wheeled in the room. The ninja all shook there heads. He sighed.

"This is really bad. I broke the news to P.I.X.A.L; she's devastated." He cast a helpless look at the screen. "And the fact that we can't contact him at all. I just really hope he's alright, losing him a second time would be _horrible_."

Just then Kai felt something vibrating in his back pocket. He pulled out his cellphone. It was Nya.

"Hello?" Kai said.

"Any sign of Zane yet?" She asked. Her voice was also pretty scared. She started crying when they told her about Zane. Although she was back guarding the Bounty, she still called every five minutes to see if they found him.

"No," Kai sighed. "We've been trying about forty two times."

"Forty five." Jay corrected.

"I just hope he's okay, I don't want Zane gone again." Nya almost whispered. "There's some ghosts terrorizing the east side of the city, you guys should go before they do any serious damage."

Kai looked at the screen. He didn't want to go on any missions right now, he wanted to stay and find Zane. But they had to go, it was their job.

"Alright. We'll be quick. Bye Nya."

"Bye, Kai."

Kai turned to the other ninja. "Ghosts on the east side." Everyone else nodded and Jay and Cole ran after him to the elevator. They were right in front of the doors when they opened and someone stepped out. Kai almost barreled into Ronin.

Kai skidded to a stop and everyone behind him almost smashed into each other.

Kai stumbled over Jay, who caught him and helped him back up.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Kai said, almost at a spit. He didn't know why he was agitated, probably he was annoyed that he had to break from the search and then _he_ shows up.

Ronin shrugged. "I thought I would come help you since I have nothing else to do."

"Well we don't need your help. Sensei's staying back to-" Kai began, but was interrupted by Wu.

"I am going with you." he said, walking up beside the ninja. "I do not want a repeat of what happened with Zane with any of you." Sensei looked at each and every one of his students. "If you need saving, I'll be there."

Kai looked at Ronin, annoyed. He could stay back and watch for any signs of him.

"Fine." He grumbled. "Stay here and watch for Zane's beacon. If anything comes up, call us right away."

Ronin brushed past Kai and made himself comfortable on an office chair (one of those swivel chairs that spin I forgot what they're called).

Kai cast an irritated look at Ronin before leading the others to where they needed to go.

. . .

 _No signal found._ A message popped up on the screen.

Ronin leaned over and pressed the small green button again. He completely lost count at how many times he pressed it.

"This is hopeless." He said, taking a sip from a cup of water he got earlier. "Absolutely hopeless."

He took another sip. Then he heard a blipping noise, and looked up, and saw something that almost made him spit out his water.

There on the map, was a red dot. It was weak, but it was there.

Ronin looked at the coordinates, but they were all scrambled and the dot was surrounded by white instead of a satellite map. But that still didn't stop him from reaching for the telephone next to him. He dialed a number. The phone rang several times before someone answered.

"Hello?" Jay's voice came over the phone. "Who's this?"

"It me, Ronin. Listen, I found Zane's beacon, but the coordinates are scrambled and it off the map. You might want to come over, quick."

"YOU DID?! We just finished and were on our way back. We'll be right there!"

"GUYS! RONIN FOUND ZANE'S BEACON!" Jay yelled at the top of his lungs to the others.

Kai and Cole needed no second telling. They sprinted back to the Bounty as fast as their legs would carry them. They ran to Borg Industries, hurtled through the front doors, took the elevator to the 100th floor, and almost trampled each other alive, with Sensei hot on their heels.

"Where is he?" Cole asked, panting, once they sorted themselves out in front of the screen.

"I don't know." Ronin said. "Like I told Jay, the coordinates are mixed up."

"Well, at least tell us where he is, we don't-" Kai began but looked at the screen a second time. "Wait...why is he off the charts?"

"I don't know." Ronin said for a second time.

"At least we know he's alive now." Cole said. "Now we know we can get him."

"But how are we supposed to do that?!" Jay exclaimed. "He's off the map!"

"Where there's a will, there's a way." Cole said simply.

"But he's-"

"Listen, Jay!," Cole cut Jay off. "I don't care where he is! If he's alive, and he's out there, I'll do anything and everything in my power to find him. I don't care if he's off the map. I'll go out looking for him. We need him back at all costs." Cole cast a serious look at everyone around him. "We've lost Zane once. And there's no way we're going to lose him again."

 **So, now Uncle Sam will be formally known as Samuel now, unless Hailey calls him, and Zane got his first look at football. That game was a total fail ? (Yes I'm a Packers fan). Also, thank you Imortalice for saying something that helped end this chapter smoothly, go check her out. Oh, and I repeat, NO ZANEXOC I. THIS STORY OR IN ANY OF MINE! And thanks to the people that tell me to keep going, it's really heartwarming to see that. Tips and advice welcome, they help make my stories better, and comment on anything that you could make this story more awesome. STAY AZOME!** **~ENDERREX, Master of Darkness and Dragons**


	16. Chapter 16: Chill

**Hi, I'm back! So this chap might seem a bit crappy, but that's because I had a little writer's block.**

It was around 7:00, and Hailey was sitting at the table, doing her history homework that would be due the next day.

"Let's see here…" Hailey said quietly to herself. She was reading a section that covered the Chinook Tea Party and the Chinook Massacre that happened after that. She read the questions that were at the end of the section. She breezed past them, occasionally going back to the reading for a little help, and was working on the last one until her phone started to ring.

Hailey always got cranky when someone bugged her while doing something like homework. Irritated, she swiftly grabbed her phone and checked who was calling.

It was Abel.

Of course. Hailey thought. Who else?

"Abel, I'm doing my homework right now! Whadda you want?" Hailey said when she answered.

"Well, sorry! Me and everyone else are going to that ice cream place we always go to and we thought you would want to come too."

That actually did sound nice. Come to think of it, Hailey thought that's exactly what she needed, a nice sundae or something.

"Hang on a second." She said to Abel. "Uncle Sam!" He was in his room, so she had to raise her voice so he could hear her. "Abel invited me to go have ice cream with him and some of my friends, can I go?"

"Is your homework done?" He said back.

"Uh-" Hailey looked down at her history assignment, and wrote in the last words she was going to write. "Yea! It's all done!"

"Did you feed Juneau?"

The sound of Juneau slobbering out half of his food while eating it told her she already did. "That's done too!"

"Alright, you can go. Don't forget your phone!" Hailey thanked Uncle Sam before going back to Abel.

"I'll meet you in a few minutes. See ya."

Hailey grabbed her history book and put it in her room, grabbed her Packers hat and went outside, but when she felt how cold it was, she went back and grabbed her Packers scarf too. She went outside and walked down the dark dirt road where her and her friends always met when they got ice cream.

Abel, Brandin, and Adrian were already standing there, she could tell them from their height for Brandin and Adrian, and Abel was obvious.

She walked up to them. "Who else are we waiting for, or is it just us?"

"Nah. Totchli, Kuatemok, and Brigette are also coming." Brandin said. "Along with Miguel and Raymond."

Soon everyone else showed up, and they all walked the the ice cream shop.

. . .

"Miguel, that's a gelato, not normal ice cream." Totchli said to Miguel, who seemed like he didn't know the difference between gelato and ice cream.

"I know, but who cares?" He was interrupted by the lady who was asking what flavor. "Oh-um-coffee, please."

. . .

Hailey and her friends were sitting in a corner booth, talking about things kids our generation normally talk about, when Brandin came and plopped his ridiculously huge sundae in a spot for all to see

There was an awkward moment of silence as everyone just stared in shock at it. But soon Brandin broke the silence.

"What? Got a problem?"

Suddenly Abel did what he always did when he remembered something.

"Hailey, we haven't seen you come out of your house since...what was it…last week. Are trying to avoid is or something?"

"I've just been busy, that's all." Hailey replied, casually stabbing her spoon in her mint and chip. She looked calm on the outside, but on the inside, she was mentally slapping herself for not preparing for this.

 _How *slap* could've *slap* I *slap* been *slap so *slap* STUPID?! *slap*_

Hailey looked at her friends, who were staring at her in a worried but suspicious way.

I shouldn't be here. She thought quickly. They'll keep asking until I just have to tell them. It's not safe for me, or for Zane.

Hailey stood up fast. "I have to go."

Everyone looked at her in surprise, but Bridgette seemed to be really startled.

"But why?" She yelped. "We've only been here ten minutes, it's not like your uncle would get you in trouble for being just a few minutes late, wouldn't he?"

Hailey was starting to panic. Make up a lie!

"I-uh-" come on, something that would get me into huge trouble if I don't do it...oh yes.

"I got to do the math from Mr. Desrond's class! We would be soo ticked if I didn't." With that, Hailey turned on her heel and walked quickly for the door.

"But Hailey! Didn't we-"

"BYE!"

Abel stopped dead. Hailey did not just walk out like that. She never did.

"Do it...yesterday…?" Abel began, but his voice trailed off.

He looked back helplessly to his friends, but they had no idea what to do. He sighed, shook his head, and took his place back at the table.

"Listen," he said, everyone paying attention to him. "Something's up. I think Hailey's hiding something from us."

. . .

 **Hailey's P.O.V**

I jammed my fists into my pockets, walking fast down the dirt road back to my house. The air was freezing cold, so I could see my breath fogging the the air.

Well, that was stupid. Absolutely. Stupid. I was starting to regret the way I walked out on my friends. Now they were gonna suspect that something was wrong.

I can't believe I did something that stupid! But, hey. I've been doing a lot of stupid things these past couple of weeks. Finding a robo-elemental master and keeping him a secret for a week and a half? Yep. Pretty stupid. Not to mention dangerous. He probably found a way in that not even we know about, and when we turn him loose, he'll go back, tell everyone he knows, and the next thing you know there's people trying to get in, wanting to log every tree in sight and blast away cliff faces for every ounce of metal they can get, and soon Mt. Horn would look like the way it did before the Four Legends came. Maybe even worse than that.

What a nightmare.

But I kept walking home. There was no way I could go back without my friends bombarding me with questions. No way.

The cool night air seemed to help me relax as I inhaled it, so when I got home, I was calm and feeling like nothing strange happened at all tonight. I walked up the stone steps and opened the door. I was immediately greeted by a wave of warmth from the fireplace and Juneau barking and running up to me. I smiled and scratched his head. Why animals always made me feel better, I would probably never know. I was too exhausted to do anything, so I got in my and went to bed, listening to the sound of killideers making those weird little chirps as they flew by.

. . .

 **No one's P.O.V (3 days later)**

Hailey had no idea what to do. She was just that bored. Netflix and chill? YouTube? Minecraft? Go ride? She didn't know.

"Uuuhg. I hate when this happens."

She decided to go downstairs and play her guitar. Why not?

She grabbed it and went downstairs.

"Hey Uncle Sam! Do you want me too play for you?" She asked, slipping the strap over her.

"Yea! I want to see how you improved on that song."

"Which on-oh, that one!" Hailey tuned it to the right chords. She dragged a chair over to the couch. Zane was asleep, but stirred when Hailey picked at a couple strings. Zane yawned and rubbed his eyes, and saw Hailey there.

"Oh, hello there." He said.

"Hey. Oh, I'm gonna be playing a song or two, do you want to listen? Uncle Sam is."

"That would be indeed be pleasuring." Zane said, and tried to prop himself on one elbow, but it shook and gave out. He yelled as his arm twisted.

Hailey bolted up and ran over to him.

"Dude, relax! You're gonna break your good arm like that!"

"I got it." Zane said while struggling into a sitting up position. "See?"

"Fine. But don't try to do anything crazy, like standing. Your still not strong enough yet." Hailey said, and then Samuel came into the living room.

"Okay. You can start now. I might join you on a couple songs, do you mind?"

"Nah." Hailey said before starting to play an intro to a song that Zane had never heard.

"On a dark desert highway

Cool wind in my hair.

Warm smell of colitas

Rising up through the air.

Up ahead in the distance,

I saw shimmering light.

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim.

I had to stop for the night.

There she stood in the doorway

I heard the mission bell.

And I was thinking to myself

This could be heaven or this could be Hell.

Then she lit up a candle.

And she showed me the way.

There were voices down the corridor.

I thought I heard them say:

Welcome to the Hotel California.

Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)

Such a lovely face.

Plenty of room at the Hotel California.

Any time of year (any time of year),

You can find it here!

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted,

She got the Mercedes-Benz

She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys

She called friends.

How they danced in the courtyard!

Sweet summer sweat.

Some dance to remember

Some dance to forget.

So I called up the captain.

Please bring me my wine.

And he said

'We haven't had that spirit here since 1969!'

And still those voices are calling from far away!

Wake you up in the middle of the night

Just to hear them say:

Welcome to the Hotel California!

Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)

Such a lovely face.

Living it up at the Hotel California!

What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)

Bring your alibis!

Mirrors on the ceiling

The pink champagne on ice

And she said

We are all just prisoners here,

Of our own device.

And in the master's chambers,

They gathered for the feast.

They stab with their steely knives

But they just can't kill the beast!

Last thing I remember

I was running for the door.

I had to find the passage back

To the place I was before!

'Relax,' said the nightman.

'We are programmed to receive.

You can check out any time you like,

But you can never leave!'"

. . .

As it turns out, the more days went by, the more Zane learned about this strange land and its people. She had told him some things they do, and in turn he did the same. Zane was feeling a lot better, his wounds were healing up nicely. But he did have episodes where he blacked out, the longest being for a day and a half, which gave Hailey and Samuel quite the scare. So they still watched him carefully, despite him regaining some strength. He was able to sit up on his own, but still not able to stand. Right now, Zane was telling Hailey why it took him so long to come back from his fade-outs.

"So let me get this straight." She said, obviously confused. "So you have a self-repair system, but it was also damaged when you got stabbed…"

"But still functioning." Zane offered.

"Yea. Somewhat. So that system repaired itself first before moving on."

"Exactly." Zane said.

"It all makes sense now." Hailey said.

Suddenly Zane felt light-headed and dizzy. He clutched his head and groaned.

"Dude! Are you okay?!"

Zane's vision darkened and soon blacked out all together.

He fell back onto the couch, and Hailey sighed. He was out again.

Hailey stood up and went to find Samuel.

She found him in the paddock, grooming his horse, Gunsmoke.

"Hey, Uncle Sam. Zane passed out again."

"He did?" He turned to Hailey and frowned. Then he looked to the window, where they could partially see Zane unconscious on the couch. Samuel sighed and went back to cleaning the gunk of Gunsmoke's dark grey legs.

"That's not good. It's his second time today." It was true. They had been noticing that Zane was starting to get weaker these past few days, and they didn't know why. But the weird thing is that Zane always insisted he was fine whenever they asked.

"I know. I just thought you wanted to know."

"Well, thanks for telling me." Samuel stood up and handed the brush he was using to Hailey. "Do you mind finish grooming Gunsmoke for me?"

"Of course not!" Hailey took Gunsmoke's leg into her hand and began brushing off all the dust and dried mud on his legs. Samuel smiled at her before heading back to the house to re-disinfect Zane's wounds.

Gunsmoke bent down and nudged Hailey's shoulder, looking for an apple.

"Didn't Uncle Sam already give you one today?" She stroked his velvety nose. He snorted, sending a blast of horse snot into her face.

"EW!" Hailey yelped. "Well isn't that lovely." She wiped her face with her sleeve before going back to pick out Gunsmoke's hooves. She put the brush back into the box that was sitting next to the next post over. She was pulling out the hoof pick when she heard Uncle Sam yell from the house.

"HOLY (censored)!"

By the way he sounded, Hailey knew something was wrong. She threw the pick aside and bolted back to the house.

"What's wrong?!" Hailey almost tackled the door down as she stormed into the threshold. She ran over to the couch. Samuel was standing there, his face pale, staring in shock at Zane.

Hailey didn't see what was wrong with Zane at first, but then she saw the wound on Zane's left side and almost gagged.

Zane's wound was horribly infected. The edges seemed be practically rotting and were tinged a sickly green. But the actual wound itself was almost completely covered in a horrible smelling black substance that reminded Hailey of tar. Zane's breathing was shallow, ragged and quick, and even though he was unconscious, his face told Hailey and Samuel that he was in horrible pain.

Zane's wound was infected to a deadly degree, and no one knows what caused it.

 **Ok, these are mainly going to be chill chapters except for this one and probably a few others. Also, would you like me to do accounts of Zane healing or just skip and get to the parts where he can move on his own again and Hailey shows him around Mt. Horn? Tell me in the reviews. Anyway, tips and advice welcomed, (I'm sorry I'm forgetting this part so bad) and have a nice day or night!**


	17. Chapter 17: A Song, a Storm, and Emotion

**Hallo, I'm back with 17, I believe. I haven't updated in awhile (you know why we all hate it) and I'm sorry. Really, I am. Thanks to everyone who keeps telling me to do more, it means to me that people like and appreciate my story, and I'm thankful for that. Also to VixenLovesNinjago- If Hailey's snuck into her house and saw Zane, they would probably freak out, call the police, and start this whole new mess which would be almost impossible to sort out. And don't worry, the next chap I am devoting it almost completely to the ninjas' P.O.V, with The Night Ninja (aka Imortalice) helping me out.**

 **And yes, there will exciting chapters after these ones (did I mention a little action with hunting rifles?)**

 **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

"Hailey…" Samuel said weakly, still staring at the infected wound. "Go get some towels. Now."

Hailey bolted up the stairs to the towel cabinet, questions racing through her mind.

Where did that infection pop out from? Why did it come so quickly? And what was that gross smelling black stuff on there?

And most importantly, would it kill him?

Hailey grabbed a few towels and ran back downstairs.

"Here." She tossed the towels to Samuel, who immediately went to work clearing out the black stuff. Zane flinched when the towel touched the wound, even though he was unconscious, and cried weakly when Samuel wiped out some of the black stuff.

"Hang in there, Zane." Samuel muttered.

Surprisingly, it wasn't much. It only took a few wipes to get the majority of the black stuff out.

"Euhg." Samuel said. "What is this?" The black stuff looked sticky and it smelled disgusting.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know." Hailey was holding her nose, and looked on the verge of throwing up.

Samuel grabbed the bottle of disinfectant on the coffee table and sprayed a ton of it on the infected cut. Zane inhaled sharply as the disinfectant stung his side. Samuel finished by wrapping his side with twice as much bandage than normal.

"Help me." Samuel said, and together him and Hailey propped up Zane so Samuel could take off the bandages at his back.

As soon as they fell away, the same black stuff came dripping onto the couch.

"It's on his back too?" Samuel cursed silently under his breath. What was going on with him?

. . .

They finished cleaning out the cut on his back and checked his injured arm, but it was fine. Samuel rewrapped it and set it back down with a sigh.

"Hailey, go throw away those towels, please." Samuel rubbed his forehead. How in the world did that happen?

Hailey grabbed the towels and tossed them in the trash. She walked back over and leaned on the back of the couch. She sighed. There was nothing else they could do for Zane. All they could do was wait.

. . .

It had been three days since the infection that could possibly kill Zane popped up. Hailey had been using whatever spare time she had searching up infections, their symptoms, and their treatments. But nothing was matching up at all.

Hailey was still 'researching' on her computer for three hours when Samuel came in.

"Hailey?" Hailey jumped and spun around.

"Uncle Sam what did I tell you about doing that?!" She hated it when he startled her like that.

"Sorry about that." Samuel said as he stepped into Hailey's room. "Listen. I know your trying to help, and I appreciate it, but doing three days of Internet surfing and nothing popping up? Your wasting your time."

Hailey turned back to the computer and continued typing.

Samuel walked up and unplugged the computer.

"Hey!" Hailey said as the screen went black. She turned to Samuel, who had the cord in his hand. "What was that for?!"

"Seriously, Hailey. You need to relax. Taking care of Zane, it's kinda taking a toll on you."

"Oh really?" She said, folding her arms. "How so?"

Samuel thought for a moment. "Well, you haven't taken Ranger out for awhile. He's becoming depressed."

That got Hailey's attention.

"He's depressed?! Can go ride him, like, now?!"

Hailey was in a panic.

"It would be good for the both of you." Samuel said.

Hailey rushed past him and went downstairs. She went out the door, casting a worried look at Zane as she breezed by. Hailey called Ranger, tacked him up, and was heading out before turning back to get something.

"Might as well bring my gutair." She said to herself. Ranger tossed his head in an agreeable way.

. . .

Hailey let Ranger run himself out. He's was cooped up for quite awhile, so he was practically bounding with energy. Turns out they went a little farther than Hailey would've liked. They were walking in a section of forest which Hailey never been in before.

"This doesn't look familiar.." Hailey said, looking around. And it wasn't. Hailey knew the woods around her like the back of her hand. This area was completely different.

The road she was on was a bit more rugged, less worn, and was starting to thin. Hailey also noticed that most of the Jeffery pines and the occasional sycamore, oak, or maple was replaced by more thicker, lusher pines. The woods were also eerily silent. Hailey got off Ranger and walked to the nearest of these trees at the side of the road. She examined the needles, which were short, combed, and neat.

"It's a Noble fir." She said. It was the kind of Christmas tree her and her uncle got every year. Nobles grew a little around her village, but to get a good one for a Christmas tree, you would have to go farther into the mountains.

Hailey stood back up. She looked to the west, and saw the base of Mt. Horn was a lot closer than she saw it back at home. The rest of the peaks were shrouded by the cloudy sky, which threatened to drop some rain.

"Jeezus." Hailey said, walking back to Ranger. She got on him. "Your energy carried us really far west, Ranger." She turned his nose back east. "I think we should go."

But Ranger was exhausted, and he refused to go. Hailey sighed and slipped out of the saddle.

"Fine. We'll rest for about 15 minutes, and then we'll go back home, ok?"

Ranger didn't seem to argue as Hailey led him off the roadside. She didn't want to be in the open, you never know what could happen. Soon they came upon a small stream, surrounded by a bunch of ancient sycamores.

"Wha-?" Hailey said completely confused as to why there were sycamores growing so close to the mountains, much more as to how they managed to survive this long.

Suddenly Hailey felt a fat water drop splatter on her nose, and quickly led Ranger into the cover of the sycamores' intertwining branches and leaves, creating a canopy that kept the ground dry from the rain that was beginning to fall.

Hailey let Ranger drink from the creek while she found a dry log to sit on. She decided that here would be a good place to play her gutair. She pulled it off her back. She was originally planning to play "Nothing Else Matters", but now she didn't feel like doing that. So she went to her "random-pluck-pick method."

As she was playing, Hailey's mind drifted back to Zane. She couldn't help but think about what he saw before he got here, and things he also did when he did show up. She thought about him, laying on that couch in a place to him was completely unknown, and his family and friends that were probably searching for him. He was an elemental master, after all. She also remembered Zane also mentioning that he had a girlfriend back home. What was her name...P.I.X.A.L? Yea, that was it. P.I.X.A.L. Man, Hailey felt really sorry for her. She must've been devastated when she heard about Zane gone missing. Even though she was a robot like Zane. It kinda reminded her about when a soldier goes into battle one day, telling his love through letters he'll be back one day, but then something horrible happens, and that day never comes. Then that reminded her of the line from a song.

She wasn't aware that she was playing "Traveling Soldier" by the Dixie Chicks until she was gonna start playing it until she realized she already was.

'That's weird.' Hailey thought. 'That's never happened to me before.'

But now at least she knew what song to play.

Hailey stopped playing and restarted from the beginning of the song.

 _'Two days past eighteen_

 _He was waiting for the bus in his army green_

 _Sat down at a booth in a café there_

 _Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair._

 _He's a little shy so she gives him a smile_

 _And he says would you mind sittin' down for awhile_

 _And talkin' to me, I'm feelin' a little low._

 _She says I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go._

 _So they went and sat down at the pier_

 _He said I bet you already boyfriend, but I don't care. I've got no one to send a letter to._

 _Would you mind if I sent one back here to you?_

 _I cried,_

 _Never gonna hold the hand of another guy._

 _Too young for him they told her,_

 _Waiting for the love of a travelin' solider._

 _Our love will never end,_

 _Waiting for the soldier to come back again._

 _Never more than be alone_

 _When the letters say the solider's coming home._

 _. . ._

 _So the letters came from an army camp,_

 _From California then Vietnam._

 _And he told her of his heart, h_ ow must be love

And all the things he was so scared of.

He said when it's getting kinda rough over here,

 _I think of that day sitting down at the pier_

 _And I close my eyes, and see your pretty smile._

 _Don't you worry but I won't be able to write for awhile._

 _I cried_

 _Never gonna hold the hand of another guy._

 _To young, for him they told her._

 _Waiting for the love of a travelin' soldier._

 _Our love will never end,_

 _Waiting for the soldier to come back again._

 _Never more to be alone, when the letters say a soldier's coming home._

 _. . ._

 _One Friday night at a football game_

 _The lord's prayer said and the anthem sang_

 _A man said folks, would you bow your heads for a list of local Vietnam dead._

 _Cryin' all alone under the stands_

 _Was a piccolo player in the marching band._

 _And one name read, but nobody really cared._

 _But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair._

 _I cried,_

 _Never gonna hold the hand of another guy._

 _Too young, for him they told her_

 _Waiting for the love of a travelin' soldier._

 _Our love will never end_

 _Waiting for the soldier to come back again_

 _Never more to be alone_

 _When the letters say the soldier's coming_

 _Home.'_

As Hailey was ending the song, she imagined her uncle's harmonious fiddle coming in like it always did when ever she played it. But since he wasn't here she could only imagine it. But strangely, at the exact same time she was playing that song, there was indefinitely a girl grieving for her missing soldier.

. . .

It was a clear cold night in New Ninjago City. A chilly breeze nipped at P.I.X.A.L's arms and face as she slipped out the door of Borg Industries. When she heard about Zane, she was so overwhelmed by sadness she couldn't talk. All she could do was run out of the room sobbing. She was able to regain her composure before she went outside, but the frosty air still stung her wet eyes.

P.I.X.A.L walked down the the front steps of the building. She turned down the street and slowly walked towards the park.

. . .

The moon was at its fullest and brightest, casting a soft glow on the trees and grass. P.I.X.A.L walked, looking down at the dirt path. She didn't have a particular destination, so she just let her feet wander and take her wherever they did.

P.I.X.A.L listened to the gentle swish of the wind blowing through the trees, the sound of a distant cricket singing a night song, and the noise of a fountain. P.I.X.A.L didn't know how long she had been walking, but she felt the need to stop and rest for awhile. She looked around for a place to sit, and saw that she was standing next to the monument of Zane that was put up after his battle with the Overlord.

With a sigh, P.I.X.A.L sat down and made herself comfortable on the statue's pedestal. Silence was thick in the air. She sighed again, watching the gentle breeze taking the fog from her breath and sweep it away. P.I.X.A.L couldn't stop thinking about Zane, if he was alive and well, alive but dying, or he was captured by Morro and his ghosts and he was locked away in a cell somewhere. Or…even maybe…

"No." P.I.X.A.L said quietly but fiercely. "If I've read his personal analysis correctly, he is not one that would let that happen."

But she couldn't stop thinking about where Zane was, or stop thinking in general about him, really. P.I.X.A.L cast a glance around the park. Everything seemed to remind her of him. The leaves of the tree shined with a silver so bright it was almost as bright as Zane's titanium exoskeleton. Everything was bathed in a silvery light. And the moon itself…even it seemed to be tinged an icy blue, like his eyes. Tears started to well up in her eyes again.

"Oh Zane," P.I.X.A.L said mournfully. "Please be alright. Please come home. Please…"

She couldn't say any more because she started sobbing again. She covered her face with her hands.

"Please, Zane…" She sobbed.

"Please…"

P.I.X.A.L kept crying, but for how long, she didn't know. It must've been for awhile, because apparently someone got worried and came to find her.

"P.I.X.A.L!" someone called. It was Jay. She looked up, but didn't answer. She just didn't have the heart right now.

"P.I.X.A.L!" Jay called again. P.I.X.A.L still didn't answer.

But eventually Jay saw her at Zane's monument and came running.

"Hey," He gasped, out of breath. "Whadda doing all the way out here?"

P.I.X.A.L just covered her face with her hands again. Jay frowned a little.

"Well, I can see why you picked this spot." He said, sitting down next to her. He looked over to her. He ran his fingers along the cold smooth stone of the statue's foundation. P.I.X.A.L didn't even make a sound.

'Wow.' Jay thought. 'She must be really depressed.'

"Hey," he said, wrapping a comforting arm around her. "We're gonna find Zane. We're gonna bring him him home, no matter what it takes. You hear me P.I.X.A.L? We're gonna get him back."

P.I.X.A.L sniffed. A cold breeze blew, and Jay shivered.

"C-c'mon, we should head back. It's getting late and it's really c-c-cold." Jay said, teeth chattering.

There was a long stretch of silence before P.I.X.A.L spoke again.

"No." She whispered. "You go ahead."

"P.I.X.A.L. Come on. You can't stay out here forever. Come on back. You can help us find Zane's location so we can get to him."

Reluctantly, P.I.X.A.L got up and walked with Jay out of the park and back to Borg Industries. Jay offered her his sweatshirt he wore out there to keep her warm. Even though she was a nindroid, it was a bit nippy out.

'But nothing compared to what Zane's probably going through right now.' She thought, thinking about giving it back to him. But Jay insisted she'd keep it for now until they could warm up.

On the way back, Jay kept assuring P.I.X.A.L that they would bring Zane and bring him home alive, no matter where he would be or the cost to get him back. But all the while, Jay wasn't saying this to assure just her, but soon realized he was also saying this to himself.

. . .

As Hailey was ending the song, she imagined her uncle's harmonious fiddle coming in like it always did when ever she played it. But since he wasn't here she could only imagine it.

"Ranger!" Hailey called as she got up. Ranger, who was munching on some grass at the riverbank, trotted up.

Hailey took the guitar case from the place on the saddle where she tied it. "We should get going now, don't you thi-"

Thunder, which sounded more like gunfire, roared through the sky. It made the leaves on the trees tremble. Hailey felt like she almost had a heart attack. Ranger reared and neighed in fright.

Hailey leapt up and grabbed Ranger firmly by the bit loop.

"WHOA!"

Hailey bright Ranger back down to the ground, but he spooked again when more thunder rumbled.

"Easy, Ranger! Settle, settle!"

As Hailey calmed Ranger down, she picked up the guitar, which fell out of its case during Ranger's freakout, and carefully inspected it if it was broken in any sort of way.

Everything was fine, except for a few scratches and a chip. But then something strange caught her eye, and she saw that a string snapped.

"Drat." She mumbled. "I'm gonna have fun trying to replace this all night."

The rain came pelting down now, so hard it began showering through the canopy. She quickly zipped the guitar back in its case and tied it down.

Hailey tilted her head up to the used-to-be umbrella of leaves. Her glasses were immediately bombarded by fat rain drops.

"Crap." She mounted on Ranger. "We gotta go!"

Another clap of thunder sent Ranger racing out of the forest screaming.

"SWEET CHEEZITS RANGER **CALM DOWN**!"

As Hailey struggled to regain control of her horse, the wind had gone from a gentle breeze to gusting hard enough to rip off some small branches.

One twig snapped from a tree and thwacked Ranger hard on the nose. He reared and bolted down the road homewards, Hailey hanging on the the saddlehorn for dear life.

She tried to get Ranger under control, but he kept grabbing the bit and yanking it, tossing his head, not heeding to Hailey at all. He just wanted to get away from the storm.

Hailey tried in vain to calm Ranger down and get him under control. But nothing would get him to calm down. But he was heading for Elkhorn, so Hailey just hung on to the saddle as Ranger raced across the sloppy road.

. . .

When they raced to the front of Hailey's house, Hailey was soaking wet, Ranger's legs were completey covered in mud and dirt, and both of them were winded. The weather was still nasty, and the storm had only begun.

Ranger skidded to a halt as Hailey leapt off the saddle. She grabbed Ranger's reins and was about to lead him back to the stable when the sound of a door swinging open caused her to turn around.

"Hailey!"

It was her uncle. He ran up and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Is everything okay?! Did something happen?! Are you alright?!"

Hailey was still a little freaked out by Samuel's little...uh…

"Uhm-yea...I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Thunder ripped through the air. Ranger reared behind them and tried to dart away, but Hailey lunged for the reins before he could run.

"Bring him into the garage! We can't keep them out here in this weather!" Samuel shouted over the wind.

Hailey nodded and led Ranger to the garage.

. . .

Once Ranger and Gunsmoke were settled in, Samuel made Haikey take a shower. After that, she set to work freeing Ranger's legs of all the dried mud that encrusted them.

"So," Samuel said as he stood over Hailey, who was using a curry brush to dislodge chunks of mud. "You're telling me Ranger freaked out in the storm and ran all the way home?"

"Pretty much." Hailey said, switching to a hard brush. "Something must've hit and scared him. He wouldn't listen to me, he just bolted down the road. I couldn't stop him."

Ranger bent down and nudged Hailey. She scratched him under the chin.

"Oh, and a string on my guitar broke. Can you help me fix it tonight?"

Samuel shrugged. "Sure."

. . .

 **Five days later...**

Samuel carefully unwrapped the bandage around Zane's torso. Zane had been unconscious, but his breathing had improved a little.

As he unraveled the last layer, he braced himself for the stench of the black stuff to make him nauseous. He turned his head away and held his breath and waited.

But nothing smelled.

Confused, Samuel dared to breathe through his nose just a little. When nothing caused him to suddenly feel lightheaded, he glanced at Zane's cut, and what he saw surprised him.

The edges were still tinged green, and it still looked infected, but the edges seemed to stop rotting, and the wicked tar-like substance, there wasn't as much of it. Basically the whole cut seemed a bit better. Samuel checked his back, and it also seemed to be healing a little.

Samuel shook his head in wonder as he sprayed and covered Zane's wounds back up. He had never seen anything like it. Someone who can get an infection out of nowhere and start recovering from it just as fast? Impossible.

Samuel had just finished tying off the tail end of the bandage around Zane's torso when he stirred.

Zane's eyes fluttered open. He groaned.

"Zane?"

Zane looked groggily at Samuel. It was obvious he was still in pain. He rubbed his forehead and muttered something Samuel didn't catch.

"What was that?" Samuel moved closer.

Zane repeated, and Samuel still wasn't sure, but he thought he said 'It's hurts.'

"You said it hurts?"

Zane nodded weakly, his hand sliding to cover his face.

"You need anything?"

Even though Zane didn't answer, Samuel knew that something like Ibprofen would help him out a lot.

"I'll give you some Ibprofen. Would that help you?" Samuel asked, getting up.

Silence.

Samuel went into a cabinet and came back with a couple tablets and a glass of water. He helped Zane take the painkillers and helped him sit up. Samuel glanced down to Zane's arm and noticed it was still wrapped up.

Once the painkillers took effect, Samuel asked about Zane's arm.

"You think you might be able to move that?"

He pointed to the ace bandage on Zane's forearm.

Zane looked down to it. "I am not entirely positive. But I can attempt it."

With Samuel's help, Zane unwrapped the ace bandage from his arm. Then Samuel began to take Zane's arm into his hand, but stopped. And it wasn't just because Zane was a stranger.

"May I?"

Zane nodded.

"Tell me if I need to stop."

Samuel gently bent Zane's arm back. Zane concentrated, feeling for the slightest sign of pain in his 'broken' arm. It was a little sore, but no serious pain whatsoever.

"I sense no discomfort in my right arm." Zane reported as Samuel let his arm down.

"Good." He said. "Now try flexing it by yourself."

Zane did, slowly. Same as before. Sore, but it wasn't hurting.

Zane relaxed it. Zane rolled his shoulder a little bit, but had to stop because of the stinging pain from the infection.

"So I think your good pretty much now?" Samuel inquired.

A small smile crossed Zane's face. "Yes. I am indeed. Thank you."

Zane glanced down to the floor. "I wonder-" he began to get up to try and walk, but Samuel stopped him real quick.

"Oh, nononono. Don't try that yet. Rest and wait for a few more days. I don't want you knocking your head on the coffee table like you did last time-" it was just then Samuel noticed a slight dent on Zane's forehead. "Erm…you've got something-"

"Oh, yes. I know." Zane said. It irked Samuel a little that he didn't really seem to care about it.

But that was okay. At least Zane was okay again, and in a few days, he would be up and around.

 **AAAAAnd there you have it. Chap number 17! 17-38! Ey! I'm like hey wassup hello!**

 **(I'm sorry I just couldn't resist)**

 **And for those of you wondering, if you are wondering. There will be NO BROMANCE! I repeat, NO BROMANCE!**

 **Also, there a poll on my profile reguarding my other story. This poll needs a considerable amount of votes, and until then, I will not update.**

 **See yall lata!**


	18. Chapter 18: Fist to Face

**Hello, its me. I'm back with chapter 18, and due to some requests, I have made it completely focusing on the ninjas' search for Zane. The Night Ninja (AKA Imortalice) helped me out a TON, he or she gave me the basics on what each should say and I just trough in some more dialogue into it. HUGE thanks to her (or him!), I would've probably NEVER got this chapter done as well as it is. Check out a story of hers (or his), it's called "Ice or Wind?".** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

Even though things were improving where Zane was, it was all but the same between the other ninja.

Everyone on the Bounty was gathered around the big screen in the command room, trying to evaluate Zane's location, taking quick visits to potential places, and occasionally using the falcon as a reference and the Ultradragon to carry Sensei, Misako, and Nya. Everyone was doing everything they could to find their missing brother.

Well, almost everyone.

For some reason, Kai seemed doubtful, even bored at finding Zane. During searches, he'd just sit around on his dragon, not offering help to anyone, not even Sensei. Even when he did help, Kai would just take a quick look around the area and declare he isn't there. It was just like he honestly didn't care.

And now here he was, staring at the screen, mildly interested, waving off people when they asked for his opinion, even yawning at times, which irked Cole to the fullest.

But right now he didn't have the time to pay attention to Kai, they needed to find Zane.

Cole looked at the weak beacon dot and sighed. "We have to find Zane. I don't know how much longer I can take him being out there and us not knowing where he his. He might be hurt, or worse." Then the image of Zane on the ground, wounded and his blood all over the place with Morro about to kill him flashed through Cole's mind.

'This is all my fault.' Cole thought. 'I should've never let Zane out of my sight for a second. Especially after what happened to Llyod…"

Suddenly Kai butted into the conversation. "Maybe we should focus on rescuing Lloyd first. I mean, we do need to stop Morro, otherwise Ninjago would be cursed."

Cole froze. Everyone turned to Kai in surprise. Anger began to seep through Cole's fists.

"And why…would you think something like that?" Cole had to say it slowly to restrain himself from yelling, but his voice was dripping with venom nonetheless.

Kai ignored his tone. "Like I said, Lloyd being possessed and all, Morro's taking Ninjago at a really fast rate. Plus Zane's probably a lost cause now, because his beacon signal was so weak."

Cole could no longer contain himself. He flew at Kai, grabbed him by the throat, and pinned him against the wall.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!" Cole roared in Kai's face. "DON'T YOU REMEMBER ALL THE THINGS ZANE DID FOR US?! DON'T YOU REMEMBER HOW WE WERE AFTER HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US?!"

When Kai didn't respond, Cole punched him harder than he ever did in the face. Instantly a black eye started to appear on Kai's face, and blood trickled out of his nose. But Cole wasn't done

"We know where Lloyd is, in the town of Stiix, so that's the last thing I can care about right now over Zane, Kai." Cole's grip around Kai's neck was getting tighter. "Tell me this, Kai." Cole hissed. "When's the last time we saw Lloyd, and when's the last time we saw Zane?"

Still no answer. Cole further hardened his hold on Kai's throat.

"How DARE you, Kai, how dare you, ever, EVER think that one of us is more than important than the other. Zane payed the highest price for doing what Lloyd should've done. His life. HIS LIFE!"

Cole glared at Kai with immeasurable rage before continuing.

"How could you so forgetful, so-so THICK-as to forget and be so unappreciative as to what Zane did for us?! What are you saying, that green is better than titanium?! If so, explain to me, how can that be when Zane did what the prophesied green ninja couldn't have done?!"

Cole let up on his hold barely enough to let Kai speak.

"Lloyd defeated the Overlord once." He choked.

"And Zane defeated him once and for all." Cole countered. "He had to fulfill that prophecy for Lloyd. He knew what he had to do, and he did it, even though it was at the expense of his own existence!"

Cole locked on Kai's throat again.

"Plus, this team will fall apart much faster without Zane than Lloyd, he was like the glue that kept us all together. Don't you realize that?" Cole was shaking with rage. "Did you see the look on P.I.X.A.L's face when we told her Zane was gone?! Did you?!"

"Cole, Zane's probably dead by now, winter is setting in, and the ghosts had more than enough time to find and ki-" Kai started, but couldn't finish because Cole constricted Kai's windpipe with his vice like grip.

"Cole," Sensei said harshly. "That would be enough."

But Cole ignored him and continued to rage at Kai.

"Zane isn't one for quitting Kai! You should know that! I think-no, I KNOW that Zane's out there and waiting for us! Even if he was dead, we still owe him a proper burial for everything he's ever done!"

Kai was starting to gasp for breath. Sensei and Jay had to come in and pry Cole loose. As soon as his hands were freed from Kai, the fire ninja slid down the wall to the ground, massaging his throat, where Cole's grasp had left purple and black bruises.

"Don't touch me." Cole growled as the two pulled him away from Kai. He glowered at him, and Kai cowered like an abused dog.

"It absolutely disgusts me," He spat. "How little anyone in this stupid country cares about Zane, much more that one of his own brothers is denying his importance. You should be ashamed of yourself, Kai. ASHAMED!"

And as if that didn't hurt enough, what Cole said next hurt Kai worse than any number of Cole's punches.

Cole said it with a considerable amount of hatred.

"I have half the nerve to kick you off this team."

Sensei and Jay dragged Cole off before he could say another word. But even with Cole out of sight, Kai could still feel his glowered eyes staring daggers. Misako helped him up, and Jay came back and gave him some tissue paper for his nose and walked him to the infirmary.

Kai felt absolutely ashamed. Had he really been like that all this time? He understood Cole's anger, but Lloyd was more important right now, because if they didn't find him in time, Morro would be on his way to turning Ninjago into a wasteland of complete darkness.

"You know, Cole didn't mean everything he said, Kai." Jay said, coming over and rubbing some ointment onto his eye. "He wouldn't kick you off the team. It's really Sensei that makes that final decision."

"I know that." Kai said miserably.

"But Cole has a point, if not several." Jay said matter-of-factly. "Zane right now is a top priority. The reason Lloyd isn't is because we know where he is, but not Zane."

"I know that too." Kai grumbled. He winced as the ointment began to sting a little. "But I don't think he realizes what would if we didn't find Lloyd first."

Jay sighed. "Listen, I know you're concerned about Lloyd and all, but Zane-"

Suddenly Kai exploded.

"Zane, Zane, Zane, Zane, Zane, Zane, ZANE! THAT'S ALL I EVER HEAR ABOUT NOW! ITS ALWAYS ABOUT ZANE, HUH?! WHATEVER HAPPENED TO LLOYD?! DON'T YOU GET IT?! IF WE DON'T FIND LLOYD, THEN WE WON'T GET OUR ELEMENTAL POWERS BACK, AND MORRO CURSES THIS PLACE! ARE YOU PEOPLE TOO GULLIBLE TO REALIZE THAT?! **DON'T YOU GET IT**?!"

With that, Kai got up from the bed and stormed out of the infirmary, shoving past Jay roughly on his way out.

All Jay could do was sigh and stare after Kai.

"Well," he said after awhile. "I tried."

He walked out of the infirmary, having that creepy feeling that he was being watched.

Which he was.

Just as Jay slipped out of the door, Zane's falcon fluttered from its spot on the windowsill. It caught a draft under its wings and soared up, circling the Bounty, waiting for its friend.

When a large, four headed figure spiraled down gracefully from the night sky and landed lightly on the deck of the Bounty, the falcon winged and landed on the Ultradragon's tail.

The Ultradragon moved its tail and lifted in in front so all four heads could see the falcon. Some dried blood and tufts of deer fur stuck out between their teeth and mouths said that they had come back from a successful hunt.

"Fill us in," Wisp said. "Did anything happen while we were gone?"

With Zane missing, even the Ultradragon became concerned and was starting to do its part in the searches, especially Shard. They also took note on the emotional strain that was going on between the ninja, and were also disturbed by Kai's lack of concern.

The falcon cawed and fluttered its wings, making its eyes turn blue.

Suddenly a holographic image popped up, which was a recording of Cole yelling at Kai. When Rocky saw his master being so violent, he hissed in displeasure.

' _That is not the Cole I know at all._ ' He thought.

And when it came to where Cole punched Kai, they all flinched, save for Flame, who growled and snapped, smoke and licks of flame pouring out of his nose.

And finally, when Kai blew by Jay, both Flame and Wisp looked very sour. Flame, angry at his master for doing that to someone trying to help him, and Wisp was just flat-out mad because Kai did that to him.

The hologram video switched off, and the falcon looked at the dragon(s) expectantly.

"It seems to me," Rocky said. "That this team is already starting to fade away."

"Indeed. They are on a collision course for disaster." Shard agreed. There was an evident amount of melancholy in his voice. "They must sort themselves out soon, otherwise who knows what would happen if Ninjago's greatest heroes were to be divided against each other." He sighed.

Wisp glanced over to Shard and saw the totally sullen look on his face. He had been like that ever since the news of Zane's disappearance, but now he seemed more gloomy than ever.

"Hey," Wisp said gently, nudging the ice dragon's head softly. "What's the matter? You look like you're more down lately."

Shard stared sadly at the floor. He closed his eyes and sighed again.

Rocky cast a worried look at Shard. He was also feeling upset at Zane's disappearance. Rocky brushed against Shard affectionately, wanting to cheer him up.

"It's alright, Shard." Rocky said quietly. "We're gonna find Zane, and everything will go back to normal again."

"Then why aren't we doing anything?" Shard asked. "Do you realize how much more ground we'll cover if we started searching for Zane on our own?"

Rocky tilted his head, thinking about it. Shard really did have a point, they would cover tons more distance, reach places that the ninja would otherwise have a hard time getting to, even being able to cross into the Underworld. Oh, and that dragon senses were much more keener than the average human's. But even with all these reasons, the idea of leaving the ninja didn't really appeal to Rocky.

He looked to the others, who all had that same unsure expression. He looked to the falcon.

"Give us a minute." Rocky said. The falcon clawed and made itself comfortable on the railing.

"I don't like the idea of leaving." He said the second the falcon left. "They might need us…"

"Rocky!" Flame barked. "This is Zane we're talking about here! Who knows what happened to him?! Much less where he's at."

"I-I know, but-" Rocky started, but was cut off by Wisp.

"But what?! Rocky, have you seen our masters? They're going completely loco without him. Zane being gone is practically tearing them apart."

"And it doesn't help at all that mine doesn't seem to care." Flame growled.

"But the thing is, it is not Zane's disappearance directly that's separating them, it is more like they're helping each other out." Shard pointed out. "If you seek the real core to this whole 'separation' scenario, I would say the problem lies within the fact that the fire ninja shows no apparent concern with my master's…. disappearance." Shard finished sullenly.

Rocky looked at each dragon again. Flame looked determined, the usual fiery look in his eyes much brighter now, Wisp had a serious scowl across his face, and Shard was just hanging his head mournfully. Rocky was about to say that he would like to stay put, but saw the looks on their faces and shut his mouth.

"Alright." He said, stretching out his neck and shaking his head. "Fine. We'll break off and look for Zane ourselves. I'm in. What about you?"

"Count me in." Wisp said.

"You already know my answer." Flame hissed, flexing their wings. "Let's do this."

Rocky glanced at Wisp and Flame. "Good." He turned to Shard. "Shard? We need your opinion. Are you in or out?"

They all stared at Shard. He looked back with his lapis blue eyes, then staring up to the starry sky as if thinking. Then he dropped his head and sighed.

"A house divided upon itself cannot stand." He said after a length. He met Rocky's, Flame's, and Wisp's glowing eyes. "Of course I will help. Zane is my master, and this whole team will fall apart without him. Plus," Shard looked down to where his neck joined Rocky's. "I would have no choice, as I am adjoined with the rest of you."

Rocky nodded and called the falcon back over. He let it land on their tail. Shard nosed close and gazed into its eyes.

"Follow us." He said. "Look for any potential sign of Zane. Even the most tiny hints might give us any lead."

The falcon cawed, and the Ultradragon lifted off the deck of the Bounty, the falcon circling around and back to fly alongside.

They didn't start gliding with the wind under their wings until they were a reasonable distance from the Bounty.

"So what's the plan?" Wisp called over the whistling wind.

"We head to the place where they last saw Zane!" Rocky shouted back. "We'll see what we find, and go out from there!"

"In the meantime, look for any signs on the way there!" He yelled to the falcon. "It just might help!"

Rocky looked down, trying to see any sign of Zane's presence in the rushing landscape below, but saw nothing.

Rocky sighed and refocused back to the sky ahead as Wisp scanned for any hints.

To be honest, Rocky was scared straight as to what they might find when they came to the spot where the ninja had last seen Zane. They might find a horrific scene of a battle or they might find nothing at all. They could find bloody weapons all over and/or worse…

Rocky squelched the thought of a dead nindroid body hidden somewhere in the brush.

Another possibility was that they might land in a patch of forest, as innocent and as peaceful as can be.

But whatever they might find, they must find Zane.

' _Don't worry Zane_ ,' Rocky thought, pumping their wings to keep them steady.

 _'We'll find you.'_

 **The Ultradragon and the falcon is getting involved now, yay! And did I make Cole get a little too rough on Kai? I don't think so, if he were to ever act like that he would totally deserve it. I don't have anything else to say, really, except MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL! Stay warm and AZOME!**


	19. Chapter 19: Up And Around We Go

**Sup, back wit chap #19. I'd like to thank all the people that reviewed, followed and favorited this story, because I know then that people like it. I might be sounding a little boring right now, so sorry, but there's really nothing else to say but** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

Hailey tossed and turned. She couldn't sleep, and for what reason she didn't know.

"Uhg, crap." She said, flipping over for what seemed like the millionth time. "Why can't I SLEEP?!"

Then her stomach growled, and she sat sat up fast.

 _I need food._

Hailey chucked off the sheets and walked out of her room and down the hall. She went down the dark stairs.

She tiptoed to make sure to be quiet as possible so she didn't wake up her Uncle Sam and Zane.

 _Tiptoein' in ma jaaawwdinz, trying gain time,_ _tiptoeing in ma jaaawwdinz…_

She reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped. Everything was dark and quiet, save for the faint noise of Juneau's breathing. Hailey quietly walked carefully into the kitchen and looked at the clock on the stove.

11:34 PM.

 _Well,_ Hailey thought, going to the cupboard for a bowl. _A midnight snack won't hurt, I guess._

She was just pulling out a bowl, when she heard someone stirring, but she didn't pay attention to it. Just someone moving in their sleep.

She was shutting the cupboard when she heard more stirring. She looked to the couch where Zane was sleeping. No sign that anyone was disturbed by her presence.

"Huh." Hailey whispered. "That's weird." She shrugged and was going to open up the freezer when-

"Hailey?"

Hailey almost leapt out of her skin. She wheeled around to the couch.

"AAH!" She yelled as she was suddenly blinded by the light from two icy blue eyes.

She stumbled back, trying to get away from the light. She tripped over herself, which made the bowl slipped out of her hand, landing with a loud smash on the floor, which caused Juneau to wake up and start barking at what he thought was an intruder like mad.

"CRAP!" Hailey said as she fumbled on the floor looking for her glasses which fell off. She was feeling along the floor through the was-once-a-bowl when she heard someone rushing down the hall.

"Ack!" Hailey yelled as someone flicked the lights on. She raised one arm to cover her eyes.

"HANDS UP WHERE I SEE THEM!"

Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she looked up to where the first floor hallway ran into the living room and the kitchen and saw the blurry outline of someone with a gun.

All it took was to see her uncle with his rifle pointed towards her to raise her arms above her head.

"Uncle Sam, calm yourself!"

"H-Hailey?!" Samuel sputtered, lowering the rifle. "What are you doing? What's going on?"

"I can explain!"

"Go ahead."

"I couldn't sleep, so I came down here to get something to eat."

"At twelve in the morning?"

"Yep. Preeeetty much."

Samuel observed the mess, Hailey on the floor feeling for her glasses, the shattered bowl, the half open freezer, Juneau who was growling and Zane peeking over the back of the couch with his eyes so bright that even in normal light they seemed to be glowing and the I _-have-no-idea-what-just-happened-but-I-think-I'm-part-of-it_ look on his face. He turned back to Hailey, who was still looking for her glasses.

"Well, it sure doesn't seem like you got a midnight snack to me. Here." He handed back Hailey's glasses, which were close to him. "It sounded more like an armed robbery!"

"Well," Hailey started, fixing her glasses. "Zane scared the living crap out of me with his eyes."

Samuel raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Hailey got up and stepped over the broken bowl. "Watch."

She turned off the light, which let Zane's eyes glow as bright as ever. She heard her uncle inhale sharply as he saw the way Zane's eyes shined.

"Whoa." Samuel said. "That is pretty creepy."

He shielded his eyes from the light. "Can you turn down the brightness of your eyes if you can?"

Zane nodded. "I apologize for the distress I caused." He really did sound sorry.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Hailey said. She picked up the bowl pieces. "It happens to all of us." She tossed the ceramic shards in the trash.

"Like at that baseball game one time." Samuel said, laughing.

Hailey shot her uncle a look. "That's not like this at all." She said quickly.

Samuel saw how puzzled Zane looked.

Hailey saw the look on her uncle's face, and immediately she thought, Oh man don't tell him.

"Baseball is another type of sport we play around here." He explained. "We were at one of her friend's games. She thought a ball was going to hit her and used me as a human shield." Samuel turned to an embarrassed looking Hailey. He was biting his lip to keep from laughing.

 _I swear to the Four Legends if he says-_ Hailey began to think fiercely.

"Turns out it was just the shadow of a bird!"

Hailey could literally feel her face turning red. Her uncle just HAD to tell him what happened that day. He just HAD to.

Hailey dropped her face into her hands.

"Oooooooooooh why you little…."

She heard her uncle's laughter and Zane had to chuckle a little.

Hailey wished she could just melt to the floor into a puddle, turn invisible and disappear, or just poof into dust and blow away in her humiliation.

"So are you going to get something to eat or not?" Her uncle reminded her of her intention in the first place, and her stomach growled.

"Yea." She muttered. She stole a quick glance at Zane, but didn't look at him in the eye. She couldn't be able to for awhile without Zane not taking her seriously.

Absolute embarrassment, Uncle Sam, Hailey thought while pulling out the box of cereal. Complete, utter, absolute embarrassment.

By the time Hailey had gotten a bowl of cereal, Zane had fallen back asleep.

"Goodnight." Hailey said as she shuffled past her uncle to go back to her room. She expected him just to return it and go back to bed.

But NO.

"C'mere you," Samuel said. He grabbed Hailey and quickly pulled her into one of his strong hugs.

"Ah!" She yelled as she was pulled in. "Watch it! I almost dropped my cereal!"

Some milk and Apple Jacks splattered on the floor.

"Uh-" She looked to the little mess from her uncle's embrace. He also looked.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Samuel said casually but somewhat playfully. "Juneau ought to get it-see?" He nodded to where Juneau was already licking up the cereal and milk. He pulled Hailey closer and looked into her still somewhat humiliated eyes.

He sighed. "Did I embarrass you in front of him?"

Hailey didn't want to hurt his feelings or make him feel bad at all, because she hated doing that. But if she told him otherwise, she would be lying to him, and she hated doing that even more.

"Yea." She said. It was really all she thought of.

"Well, I'm sorry." Samuel began. "I never should've done that."

"Just like how you were blaring 'I'm Sexy and I Know It' with all the windows down while cruising in the parking lot. You never should've done THAT either." Hailey said matter-of-factly.

Samuel's face turned beet red. "Oh jeez. You have to remind me?"

Hailey smiled. "Payback."

Samuel chuckled. "All the looks we got."

Hailey remembered that day so well like it was yesterday. She was feeling around for a bag or something to cover her face so no one from school would recognize her and her sometimes very embarrassing uncle. Unfortunately, she found nothing, so she just sagged in the seat as low as she could.

Samuel sighed, closed his eyes, and rested the side of his face on Hailey's head. He stroked her hair.

"You know I love you, right?" He asked.

"Hm-mm."

"You know I do, always did, and always will, right?"

Of course she did.

"I'll do anything to keep you safe in the this world, Hailey, and you can count on that."

"And I will always be there for you," Samuel continued. "No matter what happens. Just remember that. I'll be there. Always."

Her uncle hugged her tightly, and the smell of pine needles, woodsmoke, and the weathering from the rain, wind, mud and snow all mixed together she could smell from the tan hunting jacket he always wore. It was strangely comforting.

She loved it when her uncle hugged her, but there was just a little something wrong this time…

"Uncle Sam." Hailey struggled to say. "Yo-youre squeezing a little too hard. I can't breathe!"

Samuel seemed startled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" He said. He let up on his squeeze as Hailey breathed and coughed a little. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm totally fine!" Hailey went back to hug her uncle. He smiled as he hugged his niece.

"I love you, Uncle Sam." Hailey said. And she meant it with all her heart.

Samuel sighed. "I love you, too." He glanced sideways, and the stove clock caught his eye.

11:57 PM.

"Oh man." He said, straightening himself up. "It's really late. We should both get to bed."

Samuel kissed Hailey on the forehead and she kissed him back on the cheek.

"Goodnight!" He said. "Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight." Hailey said, going back upstairs, eating her cereal on the way. She got into bed, finished the 'breakfast', set it off the the side of her bed. Juneau joined her. He found a spot next to Hailey, curled up and rested his head in her stomach. She smiled and stroked it.

"You're sleepy, aren't you Juneau?" Hailey asked. Juneau replied with the thump-thumping of his tail swatting the bed.

And that's how Hailey fell asleep, slowly and gently petting Juneau and the lingering feeling of her uncle's strong embrace lull her to into a deep sleep.

. . .

Hailey woke up at the feeling of someone shaking her shoulder.

"Hailey?" She didn't recognize the voice at first. "Hailey!" It was her uncle.

Hailey slowly rolled out of bed. "What?" She asked groggily.

Samuel pulled her up out of bed the rest of the way.

"Today's the day we help Zane get to walk again." He said cheerfully. Hailey thought he was glad to get the couch back.

"We are moving him, right?" Hailey asked, rubbing an eye. She didn't think Zane wanted to spend another night on that couch.

"Yea." Samuel replied, walking out the door. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty." He waved in a weird way with his hand down the hall. "Breakfast awaits."

Samuel turned and went out, leaving Hailey. She put her hands on her hips and stared after where her uncle disappeared. Soon enough, she jammed her fists into the pockets of the sweatshirt she was wearing.

"Well, I never-Sleeping Beauty?! PFFFFFFFT. I ain't no princess!"

Hailey, still muttering to herself, walked out of her room and downstairs.

. . .

"Hailey!" Samuel called. "C'mere for a second, please."

"Mm mph." Hailey tried to respond through a mouthful of frosted Mini Wheats. She got up and went to the couch.

Zane was sitting up, looking alert and very eager to get up again. Samuel was gripping Zane's wrist.

"Shouldn't we check on those cuts he has first before we move him?" Hailey asked as she walked up to Zane's other side.

"I did." Samuel said. "They're all healed up pretty much, but me and him talked it through earlier and I think we should put a patch of sheet metal over the one on his side." He pointed to where there was a slight dip under Zane's gi, where the gash on his side was. "Also, I think a couple wires might need to be replaced. They got damaged by water or something of that sort. Now," Samuel waved a hand at Zane's other wrist. "I need you to hold that. When I say, pull him up." Hailey nodded.

"You ready?" Samuel looked down to Zane. He nodded.

"Okay. Pull!"

With Hailey pulling on his right and with Samuel on his left, Zane was pulled up off the couch and up onto his feet. Samuel quickly slid a shoulder under Zane's arm because his knees were shaking a little.

"You think you can stand on your own?" Samuel asked.

"I would like to try." Zane replied, making an effort to straighten out a knee that buckled slightly.

"Okay then…" Samuel cautiously help Zane steady himself. "If you feel like you can't handle it, just tell us."

Zane nodded as both Hailey and him let go. Zane prepared himself to fall flat on his face as soon as there was no hold on him, but surprisingly he stayed upright for about ten seconds before his knees started shaking bad again and Samuel came to help him to keep standing. They had him rest on the couch for a little while in between Zane trying to walk.

"I'm letting go of you now, so be careful." Hailey warned as she let go of Zane's forearm. She pulled a sleeve up from the hoodie she was wearing and desperately trying to warm her hand that she was using to hold Zane. She made a mental note not to be in direct contact with him for more than a couple minutes, otherwise it felt like your fingers would get frostbite.

And that's one of the last things I need to worry about right now. She thought, casting a glance outside the partially blinded window. Uncle Sam had kept the blinds shut so none of the more nosy neighbors could see what was going on, but through the cracks she could see the clear sky starting to cloud up.

Zane took a tentative step forward, careful not to put too much pressure on his knees. He stopped, noticing that he had did one. He stepped forward again, but as soon as the top of his foot came down, Zane suddenly felt tipsy.

But he ignored the feeling. Zane took yet another step, this time the feeling of everything swimming in front of him became stronger. He swayed, and Samuel dove to catch him before he hit the floor.

"Seriously," Hailey said as she helped her uncle steady Zane again. "I really think Zane should take it easy for a little bit more."

"I think I can do this." Zane said. "It would be pleasurable to be capable of moving again without much assistance today."

"Fine." Hailey shrugged. "But if you can't, it's your loss."

They kept trying, but all Zane could manage was a few steps which looked more like he was being tripped before falling.

This time, it was their _12th_.

"Zane, I hate to say this," Samuel began, "But if you can't make it this time, I'd say it's back to the couch for another day."

They let go of him, and Zane wobbled forward a few steps. He felt himself go dizzy, but didn't let himself fall. If he couldn't make it…

Zane didn't have time for another day or two back on the couch, sitting around like a lazy person while Ninjago was being invaded by Morro.

 _The sooner I can get moving again,_ Zane thought fiercely. _Then the sooner I can get back to my brothers._

Zane pushed the queasy feeling away and tried walking a few more steps a bit more steadily. It worked.

Another three steps, and this time the wave of dizziness came back, but worse. Still, Zane shoved it away and walked forward a few more steps.

"Hey," Hailey said behind him. "I think you're actually getting along good now."

Zane couldn't walk any more than three or four steps before a dizzy feeling came over him, but he was determined.

Step, step, step. Dizzy, push away. Step, step, step. Dizzy, push away.

Zane kept doing that until he made it to the living room and back. On the return, the dizzy feeling had gone or he had gotten used to it, and he was actually walking again, not limp walking, but actually walking.

Hailey was relieved. Zane was getting better. He wobbled over to Hailey and Samuel, who helped him back on the couch. He was pretty tired.

"Once your rested up enough and you think you can walk again some more, let me or Hailey know, and we'll move you to the guest room." Samuel said, walking past him. Hailey had gone outside for some reason, so it was just Zane in the house soon. Sitting alone, Zane decided to study his surroundings.

The area he was on now was a living room that ran into a kitchen and some stairs with the opening of a hallway next to it.

Most of the walls Zane could see were made log cabin style, with a cream colored clay or mud filling between the gaps between each one. The logs were between brown and honey in color and looked like they've been sanded but still having that coarse look to them. Without the bark, of course. Zane was sitting on a couch that was leather and leather-brown in color. A recliner was also off to the side, a blanket draped over it.

In front of Zane, there was a fireplace made from granite stone bricks and slabs mortared together. A long flat slab ran along the top of it, which Zane knew was the mantle. On there sat a couple elk figures carved from a dark wood, a hunting knife with a extremely detailed head of a bear for a handle which was in a glass case, and what looked like a cable box for the tv mounted above the mantle. Above that there was the head of a deer on a plaque. A window was on the right side of the fireplace, offering a view of whatever was out there.

There was the coffee table which Zane bumped his head on a few weeks, made from a dark finished wood with a few coasters with various animal prints branded onto the wood, a large antler from what was maybe an elk, a little candle and a wooden figurine of a bear with a fish in its mouth, all on a cowhide that was spread across the table. The table itself sat on a rug that was woven with various diamond and triangle patterns, a design Zane never really saw before. He could faintly recall a few people who he had seen with them, but really, that was all.

The floor was all dark hardwood, except for the stairs, which were carpet.

The kitchen was a small one, with oak cabinets finished to blend in with the rest of the cabin, with dark granite countertops. There was a stove in the center of the back counter, with a microwave above it, and off to the side there was a refrigerator with various magnets and pictures on it. A small, round oak table sat in the center, with a couple oak chairs with more cowhide covering the seats were on either side. A larger elk figure was in the middle, also carved in the same dark wood as the others. It seemed to be...making a noise, but Zane didn't know the correct term for it. A roar was the closest Zane could relate to it.

The stairs were also wood because the sides showed, but the top was covered by one long carpet, also having the strange design on it from end to end. The rail was finished wood, but the "bars" were covered by a metal screen shaped to fit the slope of the gap between the bottom where the bars met the top of the stair surface and the underside of the hand rail. The screen was black and had a plain scene of woodland life with deer, moose, bears, and birds running along it. Some feet away was a threshold where there was yet another mat woven with the patterns, a painting which Zane couldn't see really well, a rack with several pegs where a couple coats, a hat with the "G" symbol Hailey wore very often, and what looked like a dog leash hung. A couple pairs of boots were there also and off to the side.

Lastly, Zane looked up to the ceiling, which was vaulted to a good height, supported by big log beams running width-wise and a two others running up along the slope the ceiling, making a triangle. Zane could also see hints of black metal fasteners to keep them secure. The whole interior was lit by several lights in the ceiling, giving the whole room a warm cozy glow, but what really caught Zane's eye was what looked like a chandelier made from deer antlers all bunched to together.

Zane was interested by the overall design of the home. He hadn't really seen anything like it.

Suddenly a wave of dizziness came over him, and he made a move to lie down, but then something caught his eye.

Sitting on top of the cable box was another boxy looking thing. Zane saw a silver button with the power symbol on it, surrounded by green light. It was sitting upright, and alone one of the edges in white letters said "Xbox 360".

Zane knew what that was. It was a gaming console.

How did Hailey get that?

Then the sound of some voices outside got Zane's attention.

"I don't know." It was Samuel's voice. "Remember yesterday, the clouds were pretty dark, but they didn't drop much."

"Yea huh. Last time you said it wasn't going to rain, it was a flipping downpour. Every time you said that, it always rained." Hailey's voice.

"That was just a lot of coincidences!"

"Prove it."

"Okay, fine. It's not going to rain."

Through the blinds, Zane saw a bright flash of light, followed by a loud boom.

And then the rain came pouring down.

 **Happens whenever my mom washes the car. And FYI, the patterns Zane doesn't know about are actually traditional Navajo weaving patterns. A couple things too: I have a poll on my profile for another one of my stories that needs some voting on, so if you can check that out and vote on it, that'd be awesome. Also, I need to know, that in the next chapter, what video game do you want Hailey to show Zane first, GTA or Minecraft? Tell meh in thy reviews plz.** **Stay AZOME!**


	20. Chapter 20: Quesidilla Fiasco

**Hi, I'm back with more. So we made it to the twenty-chapter-goal, and there's still WAAY MORE to come, yay! I know I haven't updated for so long AGAIN, so I typed this up real quick to keep you guys satisfied. I'M STILL WAITING FOR THE SUPER BOWL, OKAY?! Also, on a 4-1 vote, Zane will learn how to play Minecraft first, and then GTA. Or was it 4-2? 5-2? IDK Minecraft got more votes, though.** **ENJOY THY (SHORT) CHAPTER!**

It was an overcast sky outside, but the fire roaring in the fireplace filed the house with a warm, welcoming glow. With Johnny Cash was playing over the radio on the TV and Zane sitting in the couch scratching Juneau behind his ear, it didn't feel gloomy at all. Hailey came bounding downstairs in her Packers shirt with the fading pinstripe on one sleeve when she heard "Ring of Fire". Samuel was also downstairs. It was getting dark outside.

"Yo, what's for dinner?" Hailey asked, jumping the last two stairs. "Taco pizza?"

"Nope." Samuel said. He was digging through one of the bottom cabinets. "Where did it go-there you are!"

Samuel pulled out a quesadilla maker, and recognition flickered on Hailey's face.

"We're having quesadillas?"

Samuel nodded.

"YAY!"

Hailey went on the couch next to Zane. Zane noticed her shirt.

"I have never seen you wear that piece of apparel." He noted. Hailey turned and nodded.

"Oh yea. It's my favorite non-jersey shirt." Hailey put in the passcode to her phone. "But you've never seen me wear it because you were either in your room or knocked out."

Hailey went on the Internet. Zane glanced at her phone and saw on YouTube a video.

"What's a Hail Mary?" Zane asked. The title caught his eye and he didn't what it was.

"It's like a super long and a really deep pass." Hailey answered. She looked at the video and smiled. She clicked on it.

"But if you're more visual in things, this is a perfect example."

It was a video of none other than the Packers. They were playing the Lions. The ball was snapped. The commenting was a bit cut off, so all that was heard at the beginning was "Keeping the receivers down the field."

Zane watched as the pocket dissolved and Rodgers ran away from a Lion. Rodgers bent back and what seemed like all his might threw the ball.

"And he turned thirty two yesterday," the commentator said. The ball floated in the air for so long Zane lost track of it. It flew into the red zone, and then into the end zone. "Will he have a vintage moment in it?"

Zane saw number eighty two jump for the ball.

"In the end zone…"

The football flew neatly into his gloved hands despite all the Lions jumping behind him.

"IT IS CAUGHT! FOR THE WIN!"

Now it was Aaron Rodgers taking off his helmet and running to the end zone, looking like a very happy man.

"Richard Rodgers with a walk off touchdown, a game ended with the Packers!"

Now the whole team had come from the bench and was celebrating.

"Rodgers to Rodgers. Total disbelief on this field, the Packers, saved! And Aaron Rodgers heaves it as far as he can, Richard Rodgers, boxing it out in the end zone for the touchdown."

Then the commentated was referring back to a college game.

"And now the son coming up with a play of his own. Well, right from the start, again, they started Aaron Rodgers-"

The video ended and Hailey was smiling even more.

"Even though our season's over, that's still a play to remember."

Zane was a little intrigued. "What happened?"

"Well, let's just say the Cardinals ended it this year for us in the most embarrassing way possible. Why nobody covered Fitzgerald is beyond me." Hailey rolled her eyes. "Rodgers still came through. He threw another Hail Mary to the end zone. But then that run that Fitzgerald made basically put that game in the bag for them."

"Dinner time!"

"YEAUH!"

Hailey and Zane both got up. Hailey got a plate.

"Imma takin' a few." Hailey said quickly as she grabbed six quesadillas.

"A few?! That's five!" Samuel argued.

"It's a few!" Hailey scuttled over to the table.

Zane hesitated. He didn't want to seem rude, but he was quite hungry. Samuel saw his reluctance.

"Go ahead," he said. He nodded at the plate piled high with quesadillas. "Help yourself."

Zane, feeling a bit less subjected to being disrespectful, went over and got a couple. Samuel pulled up a third chair and came with his own stack. Him and Hailey started a conversation about football and how the Panthers were both excelling on both sides and how they might win the Super Bowl. Eventually the plate with the quesadillas was empty.

"I'm going to make some more." He said standing up.

"Okay. You need help?"

"Nah, I got it."

Zane didn't quite understand who Hailey was talking about when she mentioned the Panthers.

"Who is this Cam Newton?" Zane asked.

Hailey looked at him. "Are you suddenly wanting to know about every QB in football?"

"I was just curious as to who he is."

"Cam is the quarterback for the Panthers. He's really good. Not to mention that he's good looking."

Hailey caught the stare Samuel was giving her.

"What?!" She said. "He is!" She stared down at the table. "Aaron is still the most gorgeous man in the world, though."

"Hey Hailey, come look at this quesadilla." Samuel said. Hailey went over.

"Ha. It's all burnt at the bottom."

"And it won't fall." Samuel took out a pair of barbecue tongs and tried getting the quesadilla which was stuck in the top half. "Why won't it-"

Hailey thought for a minute.

"Maybe you forgot to put the top on." She suggested.

"Did I? No I didn't." Samuel pried loose the quesadilla and-

"You did forget top on!" Hailey cried. Where the top tortilla was supposed to be was just melted cheese.

"I did." Samuel said. He prodded the top with the tongs. "It's all crispy."

"Why did you forget it?"

Samuel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I'm just really tired." He said. "It's been a long day." It was true. Him and Hailey had to fix a section of the fence that had splintered from a storm a week before. Hailey was telling him something, and when he didn't answer Hailey snapped her fingers in front of his eyes.

"Huhwhat?" He had said like he was half asleep and had been woken up.

"Dude are you tripping out or something?" Hailey had asked.

Samuel put back on his glasses and added another layer of cheese (and the tortilla, of course) and shut it.

"That's gonna be, like, a _loaded_ quesadilla." Hailey said.

"Yea."

In a few minutes the quesadilla was done, and Samuel went to open it-

It was stuck.

"Oh crap now it won't open!"

"What?!" Hailey sprung up from her chair. "Lemme see!"

Hailey ran over and peered at where the two halves of the quesadilla maker met. A thin line of melted, crispy cheese lined the halves like masonry.

"It's from all the cheese you put on there!" Hailey said. She got a butter knife and started scraping it off. Whatever fell on the floor, Juneau came and licked it up.

"Careful now." Samuel warned as Hailey finished freeing the maker from the cheese. "Don't burn yourself."

"I know." Hailey said. Just as the last of it flaked off, the quesadilla maker sprung open with a loud _pop!_ Hailey and Juneau both jumped.

"Ohmygosh that scared me!" Hailey said while laughing. Juneau had his ears laid back.

"Oh, get a sense of humor, dog."

Hailey picked up the butter knife that had fallen on the floor and tossed it in the sink. Since Samuel was tired, she sliced the quesadillas instead before bringing them over. She reached for one to see all the melted cheese practically almost burst from the tortillas. Hailey didn't seem to mind though. Zane actually liked it.

"Hey Zane," Hailey said reaching for another of the last two quesadillas. "Who are you-"

Suddenly Juneau jumped up and snatched the paper plate of quesadillas with his teeth.

"OH JUNEAU NO!"

"NO NO NO NONO!"

"AHH JUNEAU!"

Hailey, Zane, and Samuel all lunged for the plate. Hailey stood up so fast she fell out of her chair.

"JUNEAU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Hailey yelled as she sprung up and chased Juneau down the hall. She smacked her knee on the wall on her way out.

"OW! JUNEAU!"

Hailey caught Juneau at the end of the hall. The plate sat between his two front legs, the quesadillas on there unharmed. Juneau was in a defiant stance with a look that said _try me_.

"Juneau," Hailey said, kneeling slowly. "Can I have those back?" She did _not_ want Juneau running off with them again.

Juneau just looked at her.

"Please?"

Hailey reached for it, and Juneau batted the plate. Hailey gasped.

"Juneau please!" Hailey begged. Then she had an idea. Juneau always had a spot where he loved to be scratched. It was behind his right ear.

Hailey reached and rubbed the spot, and Juneau suddenly started acting like a puppy. He flopped on the floor with his tongue hanging out, dangerously close to the plate. Still scratching, Hailey reached down and grabbed it. Hailey stopped petting Juneau and started down the hall, then heard Juneau whining. She turned around.

"Oh my-Juneau, no!"

Juneau was sitting and doing his puppy eyes. Hailey would've just went back to the kitchen and let Zane and Samuel have the last two if they wanted, except that when Juneau did that is was absolutely _freaking adorable_.

Hailey rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine," she said, and tore off a piece before tossing it to Juneau. "I give up."

Juneau snatched the piece out of the air and chewed it with satisfaction.

Hailey started walking back to the kitche, Juneau behind her. "Every single time." She said, shaking her head. But she was smiling.

 **Eh, why not end it with a puppy moment?**


	21. Chapter 21: Football Physics (sorta)

**Hi, I'm back with Chappie 21! I've been busy with school and chores and all that lame stuff, so that's why it took me so long to update. I have to divide this into two parts (again ?) but consider it as one whole chapter. And thanks for everyone reviewing on my story, I really enjoy reading what you have to say!** **Ninja Pony- Thanks! And whatever you want who to say what (that's the beauty of it)** **Guest and Zaneezzane- Thank you! It was meant to be a bit of a filler.** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

"Aaaaah!"

"Get inside!"

Soon Hailey and Samuel burst into the door holding each other and soaking wet, and both laughing.

"Every single time." Hailey said, peeling off her sweatshirt. "Every. Single. Time."

"That was another coincidence." He said.

"Ha!" Hailey said, not listening to him. "I TOLD you."

"It was-"

"I told YUUUUUUUU!"

"But-"

Hailey started dancing. "Soliuja Boy tell em'."

"But tha-"

"No buts! You said it wasn't gonna rain, and lo and behold! It's a downpour!"

Then a rumble of thunder shook the house.

"And a thunderstorm, too!"

Samuel sighed in defeat.

"Go get some dry clothes on, and I'll start a fire in the fireplace and get some hot chocolate, okay?"

Hailey nodded and went upstairs.

Samuel pulled off his wet hunting jacket and began piling wood in the fireplace. Zane kind of felt a bit awkward, just sitting there watching him, so he decided to make some conversation.

"So," Zane began. Samuel turned to him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Zane suddenly realized he hadn't thought of anything in particular to talk about.

Samuel was looking at him like _'Dude, are you okay?'_

Not wanting to irritate Samuel, Zane said the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Who's your favorite football team?"

"Oh." Samuel said, stacking some kindling on top of the logs in the fireplace. "The Bears. Why do ask?"

"I was just curious." Zane said.

"Well, I'm a Bears fan, much to Hailey's disappointment." He turned back to Zane. "Who do you like so far? Have you decided on a team yet?"

"No." Zane admitted. "I've only seen one game."

"Well, you can always watch with us." Samuel lit a match and set it in. "We're always watching i-OW!"

"Are you okay?!" Zane said, sitting up fast.

"Yes," he growled. "Just burnt myself a little. No worries." He shook his hand. "Words of wisdom: never turn away while sticking a match in the fireplace." He looked at the fire to make sure the wood was burning. "So, like I was saying, we like watching football when it comes on."

"When does it come on?"

"Mainly Sunday, but there's always a game or two on Monday, Thursday, and I think Friday."

Samuel got up since the fire was going and walked into the kitchen. "Most my or Hailey's games come on Sunday."

"Who does Hailey like?"

"The Packers, unfortunately." He said jokingly.

"I heard that!" came a muffled voice upstairs.

"Good."

"Why 'Good'?"

"Well, let's just say that between the teams we root for have a little... _rivalry_ between them."

"A _little_ rivalry?" Hailey said, coming back down the stairs. "You better double check that, my friend."

Samuel saw the Packers beanie she was wearing and made a lunge to grab it.

"OH NO YU DON'T!" She quickly ducked out of the way. She quickly whipped it off and slapped her uncle with it. "I see what you did there!" Hailey sounded serious, but Hailey and Samuel were both laughing. Zane assumed it was something they normally did since they looked like they were joking.

"So I heard you guys talking football?" Hailey said after awhile, sipping on some hot chocolate.

"Yea." Samuel said. He handed Zane a steaming mug.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"I don't have a team yet." Zane said.

"Well," Hailey began, stirring a peppermint stick in her chocolate. "To give you some variety, there's exactly thirty two teams in the NFL, so there's plenty to choose from."

Zane boggled. " _Thirty two teams_?!"

"Believe it or not."

Zane was a little curious now. "What are they?"

"Okay." Hailey said. "If you want to get all this, you have to pay attention to every word I say."

Zane nodded. "I'm listening."

"Like I said, there's thirty two teams in the NFL. The Patriots, Cowboys, Panthers, Packers, Seahawks, Broncos, Eagles, Steelers, Giants, Forty Niners, Raiders,Vikings, Cardinals, Bears, Redskins, Lions, Bills, Ravens, Dolphins, Bengals, Texans, Saints, Colts, Jets, Browns, Chargers, Falcons, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Chiefs, and the Rams. There are two divisions, the NFC conference and I forgot the name of the other one. The Falcons, Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings, Cardinals, Forty Niners, Seahawks, and the Rams are in the NFC. All the other teams are in the other conference. And then from there, the divisions are split into (I'm using the NFC as an example) NFC north, NFC south, NFC east, and NFC west."

Samuel looked like he'd just been slapped.

"How did you know all that?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"It's this _magical thing_ called the _Internet_."

Samuel rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He went to the living room and sat in the recliner, with his own cup of hot chocolate. He turned on the TV.

"Anything in particular you like to watch?" He asked Zane, flipping through the channels. Zane shook his head.

"I do not watch television, and none of these programs are familiar to me."

"Alright then, how abo-hey look, Hailey."

Hailey looked from her hot chocolate to the TV. It was a football game, Chargers versus the Texans.

"That should be a good one." Hailey said. "My mom's probably watching it too cuz she's a JJ Watt fangirl."

Hailey got up and made herself comfortable on the couch. Samuel turned it to the game, the score being 3-7 in the first quarter.

"Who's JJ Watt?" Zane asked.

"Number ninety nine on the Texans." Hailey explained. "Defensive line."

Samuel cast a glance at Hailey before getting up sitting next to her.

"I'm glad you've decided to join us." Hailey said. Zane thought he caught a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"You should." Samuel replied, putting an arm around her. He looked to the tv. "I am-oh man!"

There was a slow motion replay of the Chargers quarterback getting sacked. JJ was pulling him down while another Texan collided with him helmet-to-helmet.

Hailey, Samuel, and Zane all winced.

"That doesn't look fun at all!" Hailey said as they showed it again. The commentators were debating if that should be flagged.

"It's not." Samuel added. "Believe me, I've felt what it's like to be in that position." He shook his head. "I took a direct hit like that when I played in high school. I was practically writhing in agony and had to be carted off the field."

Hailey looked at her uncle with wide eyes. "You did?"

Samuel nodded. "Suffered a concussion. After that, your grandmother pulled me off the team and never let me play football again. Wasn't even able to finish the season."

Hailey sighed. "That had to suck."

"It did. My coach was pretty upset."

"Do they have safety regulations in this sport?" Zane asked.

Hailey and Samuel both looked at him as if he just asked if oranges were orange.

"Of course they do!" Hailey said after awhile. "This year they've established some new rules to keep the game safer. But," Hailey looked to the tv again, where the Chargers quarterback was being helped off the field. "Things happen. There are some injuries that players suffered that forced them to end their career. Football's a dangerous sport, if you're not using your head." Hailey settled back into Samuel's arm, enjoying the hot chocolate and the warmth from the fire and her uncle.

And so they sat, on the couch, watching the fire burn and the game with the sound of the rain pounding the rooftop and splattering on the window panes in the background. Eventually Juneau came and joined them. It was very relaxing.

. . .

In time Samuel and Hailey helped Zane move to the guest bedroom, which was a door down from Samuel's room on the other side.

"If you need anything," Samuel said to Zane, helping him settle onto the bed. "Just call either me or Hailey. One of us is always down here, if not both."

"Thank you." He said. "Thank you for everything."

Samuel nodded before walking out.

Zane looked around. The guest bedroom was relatively plain. The bed was centered in the room with the headboard touching the back wall, off the the left was a nightstand in dark brown finished wood. A lamp and alarm clock sat on top of it. The wall parallel to the bed's left side was a closet, and a small painting hung above it. It was a herd of wild horses on top of a mesa in the sunset. The wall parallel to that one had a window. There were blinds over it, shut and covered with curtains.

Curious, Zane got up and carefully walked to the window, wondering what view it had to offer. He pulled the curtains out of the way and peered out from between two pieces of blind, not wanting to be seen.

The rain had stopped for now, but the clouds were still hanging around. There was the pine forest, mixed with a few deciduous trees which had lost most of their red and gold leaves, skirting the edge of what seemed to be part of a clearing. The mountains loomed in the distance, their peaks in cloud cover, and Zane saw the corner of another cabin house.

Zane turned so he could see more to the side.

Then he saw the rest of the cabin house, along with a few others, connected by a dirt road. After a few houses, there were more trees, but Zane knew they were in a secluded part of the town, if you could call it that; he saw some rooftops and smoke from chimneys over the treetops. A few people were out, one walking a dog, two kids playing catch with strange looking ball in their front yard, and another mowing their lawn.

 _Incredible._ Zane thought. He knew that the rumors about people being primitive weren't true when he saw Hailey for the first time, but he thought she was one of the…"lucky ones". But he never expected them to be so... _civilized_.

Zane felt his legs starting to ache, so he decided to lay back down. He pulled away from the window, but then something from the mountain caught his eye. Zane peered back out and gasped.

It was waaaay off in the distance, but being a robot, he could just zoom in.

Jutting out of the northern face of the range was a rough dragon's head! It's face was cold and grey, and above its nose was a large horn, much like the one the dragon Zane saw, except now there was a row of twisted spikes of rock which gave the appearance of smaller spines running down from behind its horn to its neck, where then it smoothed and joined with the rest of the mountain. More jagged rock inside its open mouth looked like teeth, where raging water was pouring out.

Zane shook his head in amazement. He had traveled almost all of Ninjago, and yet he had never seen any landform like this one.

Then one of Zane's legs almost buckled, and he shut the curtains and limped back to his bed. Instead of throwing the covers on him, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling. For some weird reason, it made him sleepy, and within exactly 13 minutes and 36.7 seconds, he was asleep.

. . .

Zane woke up about an hour later, feeling refreshed. It was a good feeling. He could finally wake up and sleep on his own accord and wouldn't have to worry about slipping out of consciousness or a ghost about to catch him.

Zane pondered over the dragon waterfall. What forces of nature would be necessary to make a waterfall of that scale of detail? How many years did it take take for the water and wind to carve out a large enough piece of rock, and then how many more to define all those details?

 _I believe I should question Hailey on this matter._ Zane thought. _Perhaps she knows._

Zane started to get off the bed when he felt something move in between his neck and shoulder. He look down and froze.

There was a ball of feathers.

A _breathing_ ball of feathers.

In his sleep, Zane thought he felt something touch him, but he didn't wake up from it.

Zane tried moving slowly so he didn't disturb it, whatever it was, but instead the thing shifted and flicked its wing.

 _It's a bird._ Zane thought. He could see its wings and tail. They seemed to be a dark cream color, with hints of white and gray. What was it doing here? Was it a pet, or did it get into the house somehow? It felt warm and soft against his shoulder.

Zane heard some clamor in the living room, which made the bird squirm and flick its wing again, and brushed the tip of Zane's nose.

Zane tried holding it back, but instead-

"ACHOO!"

 _COO!_ The bird used Zane's face as a launching pad as it was startled awake.

Once Zane recovered from sneezing, he watched the bird flutter around the room before winging back and perching on the footboard of the bed. It started preening its feathers before resettling its wings and puffed up. Zane did a quick scan on it, and saw that it was a female African collared dove. It cocked its head at him. He looked back. He had to admit, the dove was kinda cute.

"Beibeis? Did you knock something over again?"

At the mention of its name, Beibeis (pronounced BEE-BEES) fluttered down from the footboard and hopped into the hall. Zane got up and followed the dove.

Beibeis strutted down the hallway, saw she was being followed, and flew the rest of the way, landing in front of the TV.

"Ack. Beibeis, can you move please? I can't see."

Zane walked into the living room seeing Hailey sitting crossed legged on the floor with a bowl of grapes in front of her and playing a video game he had never seen before.

"Beibeis! Move! _Please_!" Hailey leaned over to see past her pet. "I _can't see_!"

Beibeis hopped down from the TV and landed next to Hailey. Without taking her eyes off her game, Hailey picked a grape from her bowl and Beibeis knocked it out of her hand and started pecking at it.

Zane looked at the game she was playing. He couldn't see much because Hailey was always moving around, but the landscaping seemed…cubic, like it was made out of blocks. Textured blocks.

After a bit more of watching, curiosity got the best of him.

"What are you playing?" He asked. It made Hailey jump and almost knock over her bowl of grapes.

"UNCLE SAM WHAT DID I-" she started but saw it was Zane and stopped. "Oh." She said. "It's just you."

"Did I frighten you?"

"A little…you almost made me knock my bowl of grapes over..."

A little awkward silence.

"So you wondered what I was playing?"

"Yes."

"It's a game called Minecraft." Hailey said. She went back her game.

"Minecraft?"

"Yea. It's a sandbox game where it's like a world except made out of blocks." Hailey glanced back at Zane. "I can show you how to play if you want."

Since Zane had nothing else to do (and since he couldn't come out of the house yet), he accepted Hailey's offer.

"Hang on a sec.." Hailey got up and gave Zane a controller. It was very similar to the one he used back at the Bounty…

Zane was suddenly struck by something he never felt often. Guilt. Zane felt guilty and sad because he had forgotten about his brothers. They were out there, looking for him, and here he was playing video games. Even though he knew he couldn't really do anything about it for five months, he still couldn't help but feel really, really bad.

Suddenly somebody snapped a finger in his face, which brought him back to attention.

"Zane? Zane, are you okay?"

Zane was a little startled. "Y-yes." He said as he fumbled with the controller he almost dropped. "Why do you ask?"

"Because," Hailey said. "I was telling you how to log on and you kinda zoned out."

"Oh, it was nothing." Zane said quickly. "I apologize for not paying attention."

"Nah, it's okay." Hailey said. "I didn't even make sense the first time anyway." Hailey opened up Minecraft, waited for it to load, and created a new world.

"What should I name it…" Hailey's voice trailed off as she tried to think of a name. "Training? No…"

Then Hailey typed in '1738EY'.

"Screw it." She said as she pressed 'Create World'. Then the screen said 'Building Terrain'.

"The cool thing about this game is that there's no rules!"

"Really?"

"Yea! You can do whatever you want!"

The land finished loading. Zane saw they were in the middle of woods. The trees, plants, and what seemed like animals were all cubic and textured very well.

"Okay. Press the glowing green and silver X."

Zane did. Two profile pages popped up, one was Hailey's and one was Samuel's.

"Do I use Samuel's?" Zane asked Hailey.

"Yea, sure." She replied. "We can make you one later."

Zane joined the game, and the screen split in two. One side for Hailey, one side for Zane.

"Wow. This is neat." Zane said.

"Okay, first thing's first I'm the realest." Hailey said. "So, to move, you need to move the left joystick."

Zane tilted it forward, and he, in the game, walked forward.

"Okay. Now walk backwards."

Zane tilted the joystick backwards, and he walked backwards.

"Good!" Hailey said. She taught him the rest of the controls before moving on the the most important thing in Minecraft.

"Wood." She said, walking over to a cubic tree.

"What?"

"Wood is the first thing you need to get in Minecraft. Without it, you're pretty much stuck on stupid."

"Okay." Zane said. He walked up to the tree. "What do I do?"

"Punch it."

"What?"

"Punch it! Like this!"

Hailey went over and started "punching" the tree trunk with one fist. It cracked and it became a very tiny floating block.

"You can have that." Hailey said as she started cutting down another one.

Zane walked forward and the wooden block showed in his inventory with a pop! Zane helped Hailey cut down more trees, and in turn she showed him how to use a crafting table, told him what you needed to mine what, raising animals and crops, and of course fighting mobs, all the while gathering everything they needed for their first night.

"Did I mention villages?" Hailey asked as she started building the outline for a temporary shelter in a plain next to a cave system. The sun was starting to go down.

"No." Zane said. He watched as Hailey started building up the walls.

"Well, villages are sorta rare, but they're found in either the plains or the desert. Other people like raiding them for their resources, but I like protecting them."

"They are inhabited, correct?" Zane asked since Hailey never mentioned about any villagers. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, yea, that's why they're called villages and not ghost towns."

The cubic moon was rising now, and mobs-spiders, skeletons, and zombies we're ones Zane recognized.

But at the edge of a lake was a bright green thing, walking around all by itself.

"Hmmm." Zane mumbled as he went over to check it out. He walked to it, and at a closer looked the thing was mainly bright green with other shades of green, grey, and a little bit of white. When he got really close, the thing whirled around and started running at him. It's eyes and mouth were solid black. It was...sad, chilling….but Zane didn't run away.

"What is this peculiar object?" Zane asked. It started flashing white and going _SssssssSSSSssss_.

Hailey glanced up at his side of the screen.

"OH ZANE NO-"

The thing blew up before Zane's screen went red and said "You died!"

"Zane you idiot!"

"What?"

"Why did you do that?!"

"Do what?"

Hailey put down her remote before giving Zane the _Oh-ma-lord-you're-stupid-look_.

"Okay you went up to a Creeper and was all like 'Oooh what's this' and then it blew up in your face and you died!" She picked the remote back up and started working in the roof. "That's downright stupid!"

"Sorry." Zane said. He respawned. "Now I know to avoid Creepers."

"Well," Hailey said. "Let's face it. We're all noobs at the beginning."

Zane turned to her.

"Excuse me? A noob?"

"Yea. A noob."

"Define ' _noob_ '."

"A noob is someone who sucks at a game but plays it anyway." Hailey finished the roof and put up a door and filled the house with torches. "Now come on before you get killed again."

. . .

Hailey and Zane were playing for about two hours, finding a village and building a house next to it before fencing it off when Samuel finally came inside from taking care of Gunsmoke.

"You mind if I watch TV for a little bit?" He asked as he came into the living room.

"Of course not." Hailey turned off the Xbox and Samuel switched it to the local news. There was a report on something called "Super Bowl 50".

"What's Super Bowl 50?" Zane asked, looking at the schedule for two football games.

"Okay, you know how we've been watching football, right?"

Zane nodded.

"And you know for a competition, there's the normal games, semi finals, and the big round, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, there are only two playoff games left, so it's like the semi finals, and the each victor moves on to the final game, which is the Super Bowl. There's always one NFC team and one from the other conference."

Zane took this all in. "Interesting. And the team that wins?"

"They get treated to bringing home a Lombardi trophy."

Zane looked back at the TV with interest.

"To be honest," Hailey started. "I think that the Panthers and the Patriots are going this year."

"Aaaaah, I don't know about that." Samuel said from the couch behind them. "I'm thinking more the Cardinals and the Broncos. And I think the Cardinals are gonna win."

"IF the Broncos can beat the Patriots. I heard that that game is going to be like Superman versus Batman."

Samuel shrugged. "You never know."

"You know Zane," Hailey said. "If you don't pass out again, which I don't think you will, I think this might be your first Super Bowl."

"What do you imply by 'If I don't pass out again?'"

"You slipped out at Thanksgiving AND Christmas. We were barely able to hide you before my mom came to help prepare dinner before everyone else came."

. . .

"Good morning my fellow hoomans!" Hailey said as she bounded down the stairs the next morning in some Packers pajamas.

"Well, good morning species." Samuel replied, who was reading the newspaper.

"Good morning hooman." Hailey got a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and a poptart. She sat down and peered at what Samuel was reading.

"Nothing I'm interested in." Hailey mumbled before stuffing her face with cereal.

. .

"Is Zane awake?" Hailey asked. She was in her Matthews jersey, nervously anticipating the game

"No. Let him sleep."

"I know. Just asking." Hailey said, watching the news. "I just hope he wakes up in time for kickoff."

. . .

"Omaha!"

"I just really hope the Broncos go to the Super Bowl!"

"Omaha! One eighty! Hike!"

"Aw he just missed the first down!"

This was Zane heard when he woke up the next day. He came in to see Hailey in her jersey and Samuel watching the Patriots and Broncos game.

"YES! BRADY JUST GOT SACKED-oh no. Bronco down."

The TV went onto a commercial break. Hailey saw him coming.

"About time! You missed almost the whole game!"

"Who's up?" Zane asked.

"12-17. Broncos." Samuel said.

Then the TV went back to the game and the Patriots were punting it but got a false start penalty and had to redo it.

"You're welcome to join us if you want." Hailey said. "OH NO RUN MANNING RUN!"

Hailey sighed in frustration as Manning was brought down.

"It would be quite nice." Zane said.

. . .

Zane fell asleep, but woke up just in time to see the Broncos intercept the Patriots' two-point conversion attempt. Hailey was the only one by the TV now and she was cheering because the Broncos were going to the Super Bowl.

Then Zane, Samuel, and Hailey watched the Panthers demolish the Cardinals. Zane was amazed at the score. 15-49.

"Now we have to wait two miserable football-less weeks." Hailey said gloomily.

"Why?" Zane asked.

"Because there's a two week period where teams practice and there's _no_ football and it's _miserable_!"

"Oh."


	22. Chapter 22: SB 50 and Minor Repairs

**Okay, here's part two, just consider this as one chapter all together. I know that in part one there's certain parts of the chapter repeated, but I fixed that. Let me know please if I missed anything.**

"It's Super Bowl Sunday and I'm feelin' li' yee!"

It was noon that Sunday. Hailey was in her Matthews jersey, sitting on the couch and watching a news report for Super Bowl 50.

"Look!" Hailey said, she pointed to the TV. "The Lombardi trophy!"

Sure enough, the news showed a silver trophy of a football on a pillar being lifted out of of its case by someone wearing gloves. It shone beautifully in the light.

"Why do they handle the trophy with such delicate care?" Zane asked.

"Because," Hailey said. "It's just that special. They do it with the Stanley Cup and the Triple Crown Trophy, more or less."

. . .

Half an hour to kickoff, and already Hailey was at the TV on the ABC channel, where the Panthers and Broncos were warming up, commentators taking their picks and making predictions. Then they awarded MVPs, some being Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers (which Hailey got all excited about), Bart Starr, and a ton more which Zane lost track of. Then there was an anthem, (which Zane didn't even know they had one), an interview clip of both Cam Newton and Peyton Manning, and some other things. There was a TV intro for both teams, which was made from clips taken from previous games and slowed down with effects put on them.

"Stephen Curry?" Zane said after awhile more of watching the intros. "Who's he?"

The TV showed a tall man in a Panthers jersey hitting a massive bass drum with the Panthers' logo that said "Keep Pounding" beneath it. Stephen's name was at the bottom of the screen.

"Um, he's a guy who plays with the Warriors." Hailey said, coming to sit down on the couch with a soda. "I don't know what position though…"

"Warriors? You've never mentioned the Warriors when you were speaking of the other teams."

"Because the Warriors are football-I mean, the Warriors are a basketball team, not a football team." She cracked her soda open and took a sip.

"Basketball? Is that another sport you play here?"

"Yup." She took another sip. Soon kickoff came and both teams came out on the field.

. . .

"Dude," Hailey said as they watched the Broncos come out, led by a cowgirl on a horse and their mascot with a flag. "Things are gonna go down this game." She laughed with excitement.

And indeed they did. Not going to in-depth into the game, the halftime score was with the Broncos on top, one in a pretty impressive way. The Super Bowl commercials were also cool, Zane taking a liking for the the Skittles portrait one, and Hailey almost dying of laughter with the Doritos ultrasound. Samuel really liked the Budweiser commercial.

And then there was the "Puppymonkeybaby". That got the same reaction out of everybody.

"Wha...?"

"BRUH I can't even…"

"This does not compute…"

"What's the point of-of...that?" Hailey asked and looked like she had saw something disturbing.

Samuel was still staring at the TV, shocked and still trying to make sense of it and couldn't talk.

"That is quite befuddling to me as well." Zane said. He honestly didn't know what to make of the commercial at first. Heck, he still couldn't quite piece it together.

"I mean, what does it even mean? What's the point?"

"Uh...Maybe because of all three things in Super Bowl commercials combined into one, maybe...?" Zane remembered Hailey telling him something about that.

"That thing looked like it walked out of a HORROR MOVIE! A HORROR MOVIE I TELL YOU!"

"I don't even know…" Samuel muttered.

"I am thoroughly scarred." Hailey announced. She got up to get another soda. "Scarred! FOR LIFE!"

"How peculiar of an advertisement…" Was all Zane could say.

"FOR LIFE!"

But soon the very weird and possibly haunting commercial was forgotten as the second quarter started. Hailey and Samuel made some jalapeño poppers and buffalo wings, and also baked a couple frozen pizzas that they had bought earlier.

"Hey Zane you want one?" Hailey asked as she set a bowl of poppers on the coffee table. But Zane was already shaking his head.

"No thank you. I would like to, but being a ninja I have to keep a very close eye on my calorie intake." Zane wasn't saying this to avoid it because he had to, but because he didn't want to seem rude. But a popper _did_ sound a little tempting.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me you're a _nindriod_ Zane you can't get fat!"

"I insist."

"Well, _fine_." Hailey said. She took a popper and bit it. "Your loss."

Zane nodded and Hailey went back to watching the Super Bowl, but when he thought she wasn't looking, Zane reached and grabbed a wing out of the bowl. The second quarter was winding down to an end.

"Oh ma goodness I'm so excited."

"Why?"

"Because after this it's the halftime show!"

"Halftime show?"

"Yea, a halftime show. Every Super Bowl, they have someone come and perform in this really cool concert-or mostly cool-and there's special guests too."

"Then who is in this one?" Zane asked.

"Uh, Coldplay, but the special guests are Bruno Mars and-" Hailey shuddered. "Beyoncé."

Zane noticed her shivering. "What is so bad about this 'Beyoncé' that makes you despise her? Is there something wrong with her?"

"YES!" Hailey and Samuel said at one.

"She ruined the halftime the year before with her stupid chicken dance!" Hailey cried, throwing her hands into the air.

"She did a chicken dance?!"

"YES!"

"Really?!"

"Well," Samuel said. "It was close enough!"

"YES!" Hailey shouted. "It was HORRIBLE! Later I found the video and slapped the audio from the chicken dance with it and it fit perfectly!"

"How perfectly?" Samuel asked, also opening up a soda.

"Like, Illuminati-Confirmed perfectly!"

Samuel shook his head and took a sip of his Coke.

"It. Was. HORRIBLE."

"It was that bad?!"

"YES!" They said again.

. . .

 **Zane's P.O.V**

The halftime came on, first with a band Hailey told me was Coldplay. I was surprised at how fast they could set the stage and the performance itself. Sure, Hailey told me they were modern, but the cool swirling colors and how coordinated they were with the flags and umbrellas was very absorbing, not to mention gracious. Their style of music was entirely different than that from Ninjago. How could some people who inhabit a wild mountain valley pull something like this off?

And then the intro to another song cut off Coldplay, this one having a more upbeat tune. And then it showed a dark skinned male with shades and a fedora. Who was this person? I racked my mind, trying to remember if Hailey had told me in the past.

Oh, that's right. He was Bruno Mars.

Then the sound of Hailey shouting something I couldn't quite catch startled me out of my thinking.

 **No one's P.O.V**

"OH I LOVE THIS SONG!" Hailey said. She jumped off the couch and started dancing.

"This hit, that ice cold

Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold

This one for them hood girls

Them good girls straight masterpieces

Stylin', whilen, livin' it up in the city

Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent

Got kiss myself, I'm so pretty!" Hailey flexed her arm and kissed it while doing the moonwalk.

And it was at this moment when Zane noticed Samuel videoing Hailey dancing around with his phone. He was trying so hard not to laugh so she wouldn't notice him recording. But she went right on dancing.

"Don't believe me just watch! Don't believe me just watch! DON'T BELIEVE ME JUST WATCH! HEY HEY HEY OOOH!"

Just then Samuel's phone ran out of memory so it stopped recording.

"Aw what? Come on, now!" Samuel tried to get it to work again, but it didn't. "No!"

"Alright stop-" Hailey sang, and then she saw Samuel with his phone doing something she couldn't see.

"Wait a minute-did you catch me on video?!"

"Uh-huh." He said, obviously trying so hard not to laugh. He looked up from his phone. "And guess what?" He had that look where he knew he did something hilarious to him that Hailey wouldn't appreciate.

"What?"

"I just sent it to your mother."

Hailey gasped.

"YOU SENT IT TO MY _MOM_?!"

Zane didn't know how to react to all this. Should he laugh? He didn't want to make Hailey even more mad than she already was, considering the fact that she was now chasing Samuel around the house with a pillow. He just stayed quiet.

"HOW _DARE_ YOU!" She hollered. Samuel was laughing his head off. She chased into his room, out of his room, up the stairs and cornered him in the hallway.

"What are you doing now?" Hailey's voice came from upstairs.

"Finishing posting this on Facebook."

" _WHAT_?!" She shrieked. " _GIMME THAT_!"

Samuel came running back down the stairs, laughing so hard he was crying with a red-faced Hailey looking like she was flying down the stairs to smack him with the pillow John-Cena style. She almost trampled Zane more than once.

"Hey-uh-you're kinda missing the halftime show!" Zane said helplessly, doubting that Hailey and Samuel would listen to him. They didn't. Instead they ran in circles around the couch about three times before Hailey had to stop for breath.

"Why…" Hailey gasped. "Why would…you send it…to _my mom_?!"

"Because it's funny!"

"No…no it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it's _not_!"

"Uh-huh!" Samuel started laughing again because he was watching the accursed video. He almost fell over.

Hailey tried to find a way to get back at her uncle in an equally embarrassing way that he had done with her.

"Hey Zane, got any ideas to get back at him?" She nodded at Samuel, who was on his knees from laughing and watching the video on loop. Zane shook his head.

"I don't want to be a part of this. This is your affair." He said.

Hailey rolled her eyes.

"Well, fine." She said. "I can handle thi-"

Then she had an idea.

Hailey got her phone from the counter.

"Hey Uncle Sam, do you remember that one time where you were singing Adele in the shower?"

Suddenly Samuel stopped laughing and looked at her. The evil grin on Hailey's face said it all.

"No." He said, looking horrified. "You didn't!"

Hailey, still smiling, went on her phone and pulled up a video where she was standing outside the door listening to Samuel singing "Hello" all hoarse and way off-key.

"Delete that!" He demanded. "How long have you had that for?"

"Three weeks. I won't delete it, unless under one condition."

"What?"

"You take the video off Facebook and delete before my mom sees it, and maybe, just _maybe_ I'll delete this video."

"Fine." Samuel grumbled. "But I can't get the video off from your mother's chat, though."

"Why?"

"Because after I send something I can't delete it off of here." He shook his phone a bit.

"What?!" Hailey said. "That's so stupid!"

"I know."

"What model of a phone cannot wipe an attachment from its text history?" Zane was obviously confused. Hailey shrugged.

"I don't know!" She said. "Its like having a stupid phone, not a smartphone!"

"Hey your mother just text back." Samuel said.

"What did she say?"

Samuel held his phone out while Hailey read what her mom just text back.

" _Just posted this to Facebook_." It read.

Hailey looked at Samuel before drilling him in the face with the pillow.

"I hate you." She muttered.

. . .

After making a compromise, Hailey and Samuel buried the hatchet and watched the end of the Super Bowl. Broncos were the victors, and after awarding the trophy, the TV was turned off. It was pretty late, pushing ten o'clock.

"Hey," Hailey said, heading up to her room to change. "You think Manning's gonna retire?"

Samuel nodded. "Just wait. It'll come in a few weeks. Now get to bed. It's late."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night." Zane and Samuel said in unison. Zane got up to go to the room he was staying in.

"Need help?" Samuel asked him once Hailey's footsteps faded away.

"No thanks." Zane said. "I am capable of getting there without assistance."

"Okay then." Samuel walked after Zane. "What about your suit? I can give you a change of clothes that you can wear if you want me to wash it, I'm pretty sure we're the same size…"

Zane looked down at his gi and was surprised how dirty it was. And his bothersome it felt now, too.

"Actually," Zane tugged at his sleeve where a pine needle was poking him. "That would be pleasurable, if it isn't too much trouble."

"Alright." Samuel said. "I'll be right back."

Samuel went into his room and came back with an academic blue plaid flannel and a pair of faded jeans.

"Here." He said. "If anything doesn't fit, tell me."

"Okay." Zane said. He shut the door before swapping out clothes. The new set fit fine, and the flannel was pretty comfortable, not to mention warm.

"Is there a mirror in here?" Zane asked, curious at how he would look in this new outfit.

"It's in the closet!" Came a muffled voice on the other side of the door.

Zane opened up the closet door. Nothing was in there, save for a mirror hanging on the back.

Not too shabby. Zane thought as he fixed the shirt collar.

"Do they fit?"

"Yes. I didn't expect myself to look quite acceptable in academic blue."

Zane came out so Samuel could see. He let out a low whistle of impression.

"Well, I'll be danged." He said. "That doesn't look half bad on you!"

Zane gave Samuel his ninja gi.

" _Whoa_!" He yelled as he tottered a little bit. "It's a bit heavier than I expected it!"

"Because there's a layer of Deepstone underneath that." Zane said. "I don't know how Morro's sword penetrated through it, but it did."

"Beats me." Samuel adjusted his grip on the suit. "Any particular wash setting this needs to be?"

Zane shook his head. "No. Thank you, though."

"No problem." Samuel said before going upstairs to take it to the laundry room. Then it occurred to Zane he hadn't even bothered to see the upstairs floor, but he didn't want to at the moment. It would probably be an invasion of privacy.

"Do you want any pajamas or nightclothes of that sort?" Samuel asked once he came back down. "Reason why I didn't ask you earlier was because you weren't quite comfortable yet and all."

Zane thought for a moment. Despite the short being very comfortable, he didn't think he could sleep in the pants every night. But he didn't want to seem like a burden to Samuel and Hailey, who have already given him food and shelter.

"I can let you use a pair I haven't used in a while. I just normally use two."

Zane was a bit more comfortable about borrowing Samuel's Pjs.

"Okay. Thank you." Zane said. Samuel retrieved a pair of flannel pajamas from his room. Zane changed into them, folded up his outfit and put it up in the closet. He had turned off the lamp and was just getting under the covers of his bed when Samuel poked his head through the door again.

"You need anything else?" He asked. "Pillows? Extra blankets? Anything of the sort?"

Zane shook his head. "No. I am fine at the moment."

"Okay," Samuel said, sliding back out. "But if you need anything, I'm right across the hall."

Zane and Samuel both bade each other good night before Samuel slipped into the room across from Zane's and turned out the light. The quiet and still darkness of the house settled in, with the occasional dog barking somewhere in the distance, and soon Zane was asleep.

. . .

Zane was woken up by the feeling of a warm tongue licking his face.

"Ah!" Zane sputtered. He threw the bed covers off him. He rubbed his face to get the dog slobber off. He finished and rubbed his eyes to see Juneau at the edge of the bed, his tongue hanging out with his tail moving ninety miles a minute.

"Oh." He said. "It's just you." Zane scratched behind Juneau's right ear.

Juneau tried leaping up onto the bed but instead knocked over the alarm clock on the nightstand. Zane went and picked it up when he saw the time. It was 9:38 in the morning. He had never slept this late. Maybe because his internal clock was thrown off because this place had a different time zone?

"I better get dressed." Zane said.

"Juneau!" A voice called, followed not the sound of something being poured in a bowl. Juneau dashed out of the room. The sound of things cooking and the aroma of bacon and eggs wafted into his room.

Zane changed into his outfit and put his pajamas before walking into the area that led out to the kitchen and living room. He was passing by the stairs when he heard a loud yawn from upstairs-

"OHJEEZUS! BEIBEIS GET OFF MY FACE!"

Beibeis came fluttering down the stairs and landing on top of one of the railing posts. She cooed.

"Oh, _Beibeis_." Hailey said, coming down the stairs. She looked like she had just gotten out of bed with messy hair and still in her pajamas. "Did I scare you?"

Beibeis cocked her head.

"I'm sorry my little sweets!" Hailey picked Beibeis up before snuggling the dove. "My little kawaii potato." She set her back down. "You're so _fluffy_! And cute." Hailey looked back up.

"Oh hey, morning." She said to Zane. "When did you get up?"

"Just now. Juneau awoke me."

"Same here." Hailey yawned again. "He does that with everybody. "Did he bug you?"

"No." Zane looked down at Beibeis, who was preening her tail feathers. "Is that your bird?"

"Uh-huh." Hailey said. She scooped up her dove. "Have you two properly met?"

Zane shook his head.

"Well then." She said. "This is Beibeis, my pet dove. Well, not exactly a pet, more like a companion."

"Why a companion and not a household animal?" Zane asked.

"Because this bird," Hailey said, starting to snuggle Beibeis again. "Is _THE_ cutest bird in world!" She started kissing Beibeis. "And sweeter than the sugary pieces of candy." She added between kisses. "So _kawaii_."

Then Hailey set the dove back on the post, but instead of going back to preening her feathers, Beibeis glided over and perched in Zane's shoulder faster than he could react. The dove cooed and started rubbing against Zane's neck affectionately. He watched, a little shocked.

"Aaaaaw." Hailey said. "I think she likes you."

"Um-" was all Zane could say.

"Here." Hailey said. She offered Beibeis her finger. Much to Zane's surprise, Beibeis hopped onto Hailey's finger and walked up her arm.

"So to basically sum it up," Hailey said, clearing some hair from her shoulder so Beibeis could sit there. "Zane, meet Beibeis, and Beibeis, meet Zane." She gestured between the two.

"Did you train your bird-er-Beibeis-to do that?"

"Yea." Hailey said. She started heading back up the stairs. "Not really hard, just takes a little practice and consistency. Pretty fly outfit, by the way." She noted when she saw what Zane was wearing. "Ya look good in blue!"

"Oh-um." Zane looks down at his shirt. "Thanks." He muttered.

Just then Samuel leaned out of one of the kitchen entrances, having a pan with sizzling bacon inside.

"Good morning, Sleeping Bea-hey! Where'd you go?"

"I'm upstairs! I need to get dressed! I'll be down in a sec! Need help?"

"Uh, yea. If you could keep an eye on these eggs for me when you come back down, that'd be great. Oh, and good morning." Samuel said, barely noticing Zane standing there. "How'd you sleep?"

"Very well." Zane said. "Would you like me to take care of those eggs for you?" He felt a little bad, these kind people taking him in and he nor doing anything to give back. It was the least he could do.

"If you want. Just make sure they're cooked evenly on both sides." Samuel went back to his bacon. "You don't want runny yolks!"

Zane did make sure they were exactly 100% even on both sides. Soon he heard Hailey coming down the stairs.

"Another Packers shirt?" Samuel groaned.

"What? I couldn't think of anything else." Hailey said as she went outside.

. . .

Soon, everyone was gathered at the table, helping themselves to bacon, eggs, and biscuits.

"Y'know." Hailey said as she took a bite from hers. "I think it's about time those gashes get covered up. I mean, whatever you want, Zane, but those gotta be covered some time. You know what I mean?"

"I understand your words perfectly." Zane said. "I know that my wounds are healing well, but I don't want to cause any unnecessary hassle from-"

"Oh, no." Samuel cut in. "Don't sweat. We aren't actually doing anything today, really. If you want to patch your cuts today, then we can do it today. If you want to do it tomorrow, we do it tomorrow. It's up to you."

Zane thought for a moment. He didn't want to hassle Samuel and Hailey around, but then going back to how horrible he felt when that nasty infection came, he believed that they should get his injuries covered with something besides bandages ASAP.

"I guess we can do it today." Zane said.

"That's the spirit!" Hailey cheered.

"Alright then." Samuel said. "You comfortable with welding them on?"

"Then how we gonna get it off?" Hailey asked. "Is it possible to de-weld stuff?"

"According to my sources, you can break a weld by using a file." Zane said. Samuel whistled with impression. Hailey stared at him like he was Albert Einstein.

"How did you know that?! Or know the answer so quickly?!"

"I am a nindroid. I am basically a walking computer." Zane said.

"So you're telling me that if I want to know something and I'm walking next to you, I could ask you and you could have the answer in about half a second?"

"Yes."

Hailey nodded approvingly. "Seems legit."

"So do you want it welded?" Samuel tried again. "Of not, we can bolt it on, maybe."

Zane tried imagining nails being drilled through his exoskeleton. No.

"I would prefer to have it welded, but if you can't get the needed materials for that, I can understand."

"Actually," Hailey said. "He used to be a mechanic when he was in college, so he knows a thing or two about welding." She pointed to Samuel. "He still has the mask and everything."

"Yea. I do. But…" Samuels voice trailed off as he was thinking.

"But what?" Hailey asked.

"Where do we get titanium sheet metal?"

Zane, Hailey, and Samuel all looked at each other.

"Good question." She said. She pulled her phone out. "Lemme look it up…"

. . .

"Hailey, stand back." Samuel said as he put on his welding helmet. He fired up the blowtorch. "This is gonna be hot."

"It's gonna be lit!" Hailey was standing at the garage door with a pair of sunglasses and a water bottle.

"Lit?"

"It's a word us teenagers use a lot these days."

"Whatever." Samuel said as he grabbed the first piece of aluminum. It was the only thing they could get, because the hardware store only had that or steel in stock and titanium was really really expensive. The first piece was a long one, the one that was going to cover the cut across Zane's back. They had to measure the size of his injuries before cutting the pieces themselves.

"You sure about this?" Samuel asked as he set it on over the wound. "You can back out now if you want."

"No." Zane said. "I would much rather get this over with." He was sitting on a stool, shirtless. "Does the process involve any pain?"

"I don't know." Samuel said as he got the strip into position. He pulled the helmet over his head. "You tell me." The blowtorch's flame hovered over the strip. "Ready?"

Zane nodded.

"Just to let you know, once I'm done with patching, Hailey'll come and pour water over the weld to cool it off."

Zane nodded again. "Okay."

"I'm starting-now."

The second the blowtorch came into contact with Zane's skin, he gasped and grimaced at the feeling of its flame binding his exoskeleton and the aluminum together, and the sound of it pierced his ears. The heat was searing hot, and the actual sensation was nothing he had every felt before. He could feel the blowtorch's path along his back.

"You good so far?" Samuel asked over the sound of metal being bound to metal.

"Yes." Zane replied, even though it felt like his back was on fire. "Keep going."

Soon Samuel was done, and Hailey came over and dumped water over Zane's back. It cooled the welded metal with a cloud of steam and a loud _tsssssssssssss_. Zane sighed in relief.

"Whew!" Hailey said. "It fogged my glasses!"

Samuel lifted the helmet off and wiped his forehead. "Try that out and see how it feels."

Zane stood up and moved his shoulders a bit. His back was still a little tender from getting blasted by the heat from a welding blowtorch, but other than that it felt normal, except the aluminum patch felt a little stuck out.

"Feels well." Zane reported. "The feeling of the new metal is a bit prominent though. But I am positive I will get used to it in time."

"What do you mean by ' _prominent_ '?" Hailey asked.

"Like having a piece of blanket stuck on you?" Samuel asked Zane. He nodded.

"Oh." Hailey said. "That kind of prominent. Did it hurt?"

"It was very hot." Zane answered.

"Ready for the next one?" Samuel asked.

"Yes." Zane said.

Samuel crouched in front of Zane with the next piece.

"Oh my god…" He whispered. His eyes went wide.

"What?" Zane asked, a little alarmed.

"Your injury on the side…it goes all the way to the back…" Samuel peered at the wound. "I can literally _see_ through it! The rips in the metal, I mean, through all your wires, but you get my point!"

"He was in worse shape when I found him!" Hailey said. "He was half-dead."

Samuel looked up at Zane.

" _How_?" Samuel asked. "How did you survive for so long?"

Zane shook his head. He didn't know, besides determination and fear driving him

"Determination would be my guess." He said.

"I don't want to waste another second getting that covered up." Samuel positioned the the next piece of aluminum, pulled the mask back on and turned the blowtorch back on. "You ought to want to turn your head for this…"

Zane did, and jumped at the sudden searing heat brazing his metallic skin and the patch together. It felt so hot to him he had to squirm a little bit and sit tight-literally. He gripped the bottom of the stool so hard he thought it would break and his knuckles turned white, clenching his teeth through the whole process. But the ordeal was over when Hailey dumped the rest of the water over the spots, which were slightly glowing red.

"Sheesh." She said, seeing the red-hot seams of molten metal. "That's gotta burn!" She took more care in pouring the water so all the searing metal was cooled.

"It does." Zane admitted.

"Well," Samuel said. He turned the blowtorch off and took the mask off. He wiped his forehead again. "Glad that's over with."

"Here." Hailey said, handing Zane his shirt.

"Thank you." Zane said as he pulled the flannel over his head. "Thank you for everything."

"No problem, Zane." Hailey said. "If you need anything, just tell us."

And then, out of the blue-

' _I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world!_

 _Life in plastic, it's fantastic!_

 _You can brush my hair, and dress me everywhere!_ "

"What the-?!" Hailey snatched her phone out of her back pocket, which was ringing. She glared at Samuel. "Again?!"

Samuel laughed.

"Ugh!" Hailey said. "I'll have to change it later!"

"Who's calling?"

"My friend." Hailey grumbled. "Hang on a sec-"

Hailey answered the call.

"Hey Ceasar. What's up?"

Hailey was quiet as she listened to what her friend had to say. Her face lit up.

"Really?! That's way cool, man, way cool! Let me-oh, what?…I can?! When?!…March fifth?"

Hailey glanced over to Zane, and her face fell.

"Sorry, man. I can't. I've got…business going on here…I don't think I'll be able to go…"

"What does Ceasar have to say?" Samuel asked.

"Hang on a sec…" Hailey told her friend. "He wants to know if I want to go with him and his mom to the Sharks game against the Canucks. But I don't think…" Hailey's voice trailed off as she glanced at Zane helplessly again.

"Why does everybody continuously giving me disapproving expressions?" Zane asked, wondering what he had done to make it so Hailey couldn't do whatever she wanted to.

Samuel rubbed his chin in thought. "I'm pretty sure we can work something out…" He glanced over at Zane. "Since she's taking just you, I can stay here…"

"So I can go?" Hailey asked hopefully.

"You can go."

Hailey smiled as she told Ceasar that she could go after all.

"Hey, uh-Ceasar said that his mom would be buying my ticket…"

"Nonono. Tell her not to worry about it. I got it covered."

"Hey Ceasar, Uncle Sam said he would-but he said-no, wait."

"Here." Hailey said. She handed Samuel her phone. "Talk to Ceasar while I go find my Sharks hat."

Hailey dashed out of the garage, leaving Samuel to talk with Hailey's friend.

"Hi, Ceasar. How have you been?…that's good…I've been pretty good myself. So about the ticket…no, no. Tell her not to worry about it…oh, she insists? Okay, I give in…what was that? Just bring spending money?…Okay, then…yea, that sounds about right…what? I didn't catch you there…"

Then Samuel groaned in what sounded like frustration.

"Sorry, Ceasar. I just can't go, I've been pretty busy lately…I would really, really like to, but I just can't…"

"What?" Hailey just stepped back in the garage when Samuel grumbled. "What's wrong?"

"Ceasar's dad was also gonna go, but he's sick, so they've got an extra ticket, but they can't find anyone who'll go with them." Samuel sighed. "I would love to go, but with everything going on, it's not possible."

"Man, that sucks." Hailey said a bit sympathetically. "But why don't they just sell it on StubHub?"

Hailey glanced at Zane again, when all of a sudden she had a really good idea.

"Hey Ceasar!" Hailey said as she took her phone back. She kept looking back at Zane, a huge smile creeping across her face.

"Do ya think maybe I can bring an extra…you know… _friend_?"

 **I didn't go too into detail with the Super Bowl in case it offended anybody. Whadda think's gonna happen next? 0_o**


	23. Chapter 23: Hockey Fun

**Guess what? I'm not dead! I've been inactive the last few weeks because of school. Go figure. This chapter might not be the best or most descriptive, I just kinda wanted to get this done, since it's been sitting in my drive for three months. And we've hit the 5,000 view mark! 5,000 VIEWS?! I love all you guys so much! So *drumroll*** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

It was Friday, a cool, overcast day, and Hailey was inside, doing one of the things she loved most: reading. Hailey was chilling on the couch reading with Juneau next to her, being the snugglebug he was. Hailey was reading "Lord of the Rings". She was so absorbed in the book she would've missed the person knocking on her door if Juneau hadn't kept off the couch and ran to the door barking. Hailey knew who it was though, she had been waiting for him to drop by all day. She put down the book and walked over to the door.

"Stay back Juneau." Hailey said. She opened the door. Her friend, Ceasar, was standing there with his typical crooked smile.

"Hi Ceasar. Thanks for bringing the hat."

"No prob." Ceasar said. He gave her the Sharks hat they arranged to bring. "But why wouldn't you and your friend come and get it? Or I could've just given it to him when we go tomorrow."

"Eh, my friend is a little shy around new people." Hailey had prepared in case Ceasar asked something like that. "He told me to tell you he appreciates you bringing the hat, though." She looked at the hat Ceasar had brung. "Stadium series?"

Ceasar nodded. "Yup. It was either that or the throwback, but I think he'll like that one." He tried peering inside the house. "When will I get to meet him?"

"Tomorrow. Soon enough." Hailey said. "Thanks again."

Ceasar and Hailey said goodbye and she shut the door.

"That went a lot better than I thought it would." Hailey said to Juneau. She went off to find Zane.

"Hey Zane!" She said. "Ceasar just dropped by with the hat!"

Zane poked his head from the doorway to his bedroom. "I know. I could hear you conversing with your friend from my room."

Hailey handed him the Sharks hat. Zane looked at it with interest.

"I like this logo. The shark obliterating the stick in its jaws is very intimidating."

"Isn't it?" Hailey agreed. "Try it on."

Zane put the hat on.

"Pretty legit." Hailey said. "You look good in that."

"Thank you. How did you acquire it?"

Hailey explained to Zane how she called her friend and that they arranged and convincing Ceasar that he was better off just dropping it off since Zane was 'shy' but really it was so they wouldn't see his real identity.

"I do not like making false statements, but that is quite clever." Zane said. "Samuel said I could borrow his jersey."

"Oh, his Marleu one? That one's also the Stadium Series. Good thing it'll match with your hat."

. . .

It was the day, and Hailey was trying to make Zane look human so no suspicion would be aroused. She walked out of the bathroom and came back with paint

Hailey took the bottle of skin colored paint and smeared it all over Zane's face.

"H-hey!" He sputtered. "What are you doing?!"

"Hold still!" Hailey said as she continued spreading the paint on his forehead. "I don't want to get this in your eyes!"

"But what reasoning is behind this?"

"Here's the point." Hailey explained as she went between his eyes. "There's gonna be over 17,000 people at the rink, and this is absolutely mandatory if you want to stay lowkey." Hailey started covering Zane's cheeks with the paint. "Imagine what mess could happen if you're found."

Zane didn't want to think about that. Hailey finished with Zane's face.

"Looks good." She said. "Now about that hair…"

"What is so unformidable about my hair?" Zane asked. Hailey shook her head.

"Uh, it's silver, Zane, silver. That's not gonna fly with the security guards."

"Do you have a solution?"

"Noooooooooo, I told Ceasar to bring the hat for something else." She said sarcastically. "Of course I have a solution, smart one! It's the hat!"

The hat was large enough to cover up all of Zane's silver hair, and Hailey used some fishing line to keep it in place.

"Looks legit." Hailey said, standing back to look at her work. "If no one looks way too closely, it'll fly."

"Hailey!" Samuel's voice rang out down the hall. "You better wrap it up on there, Ceasar and his mom are on their way!"

"How much longer?" Hailey asked, tying a final knot to keep the hat on Zane's head in case it would try to be bumped off.

"In about five minutes!"

"Good." Hailey said. "That gives me just enough time to get ready. That'll be good." She said to Zane. "Be right back!" Hailey dashed up the stairs, almost squealing in excitement. She came back down a few minutes later, wearing her own Sharks cap and a mostly black jersey, compared to the teal and white one Zane was wearing.

Then there was a honk from outside.

"They're here! Come on let's go!" Hailey bounded out the door. Zane stepped outside, taking in the scenery outside the house. The trees, the mountains, the sky-

Zane was snapped out of his thoughts as he bumped into somebody. It was a fourteen-year-old boy, thin and with somewhat curled, dark brown hair that was sorta short, dopey smile, and a pair of glasses.

Zane gasped. "I apologize!" Zane said quickly as the kid regained his footing.

"Hey man, don't sweat." The kid pushed his glasses up and held out his hand. "I'm Ceasar, Hailey's friend. You're her other friend she told me about?"

"Yes. That is me." Zane said while nodding. He took Caesar's hand and shook it. "My name is Zane."

"Nice to meet- Oh Jeezus!" Ceaser had started to shake Zane's hand but pulled away like it burned him.

"What?" Zane asked frantically. "Did I hurt you?"

"Your hand!" Ceasar yelped. "It's freaking cold!"

"Sorry." Zane muttered.

"No, it's okay." Ceasar went back to shaking Zane's hand with the sleeve of his black sweatshirt pulled over his own. "Like I was saying. Nice to meetcha. But-" Ceaser's voice trailed off as he looked at Zane up and down.

"But what?"

"Nothing. I was just expecting a kid, not an adult."

"Ceaser! Zane! Come on! We need to go!" Hailey called before jumping into Sophie's car-wait a minute-they had cars?!

"Oh coming!" Ceaser said and dashed to the car also. "Come on Zane! We don't wanna be caught in traffic!"

Traffic? Zane wondered as he followed Ceaser. They have areas so densely populated that they have heavy lane congestion like in Ninjago? How come they never showed on satellite imaging sequences, then?

"Zane, what are you doing, staring off into lala land? Let's go!"

Zane, not realizing that he was just standing there and gazing off into space, ran over to the car and opened the door.

"Where is the AUX cord?" Hailey asked as Zane settled inside the cab.

"Why?" Ceasar asked.

"Because I want to play dem bum bums."

"Fine here. But don't play The Weeknd!"

"Whadda have against The Weeknd?"

"Wow." Zane said. He didn't expect the interior of the car to be so nice. It was perfectly modern. He was so busy looking at its features he didn't notice Hailey saying his name until she flicked him.

"Zane? Zane!"

"Huhwhat?" He said, snapping back to attention. "Sorry. I was observing-"

Hailey knew what he was going to say next, because she kicked him in the leg a little hard to keep him from saying it. He yelped in pain before Hailey whispered in his ear.

"Zane, how many times do I have to tell you?! We are perfectly modern! Don't say or do anything that gives them the reason to believe you're not from here!"

"Sorry." Zane said again.

"Everything okay back there?" Said someone at the front. The driver turned around, which revealed to be a woman with long, straight black hair and earrings, wearing a Sharks jersey like the rest of them.

"Yea!" Hailey said. "My friend just kinda zoned out. Zane, this is Sophie." Hailey pointed to Sophie. "Sophie, this is my friend, Zane."

"Hello Zane." Sophie said with a smile. "It's nice to have you with us."

"Hello Sophie." Zane said back kindly. "It is quite a pleasure to be on this trip with you. Thank you for allowing me to join you."

"Your friend's very nice." Sophie said as she turned the car on.

"Oh yea." Hailey said while waving to Samuel as they pulled out of the driveway. "He is." Then her and Ceasar started squabbling over what was so bad about The Weeknd.

Zane looked out of the windows they drove out of the town. Well, not a town, more like a small village. There were five or six cabin-style houses in a circle in front of a roundabout street (the streets that end in a circle) and each had what looked like a small shed looking building with an enclosure next to it, but instead of pavement there was compact dirt. But the driveways were cement and (surprisingly) more vehicles were parked on them. The whole section of the village was surrounded by lush evergreens and a few sycamores. They turned and went down a dirt road that led out of the ring of trees and into the main part of the town.

Here, Zane saw that there were more houses, about forty, and they were organized into streets. There were also cobbled sidewalks. Zane saw more of the sheds and enclosures, as well as some of the animals that looked like Ranger grazing in the pens. Some were black, white, brown, and Zane even saw a golden one with a spotted one. There were a few people walking around.

Then they hooked a left, went straight through the woods for awhile, drove over a hill, and what Zane saw as they were up the crest of the hill almost made him gasp.

The road they were on led to an intersection, where there was a stoplight where trucks, SUVs, a few cars, and several ATVs being directed wherever they were going. Some of the trucks were pulling trailers. There were no lines of paint separating the lanes of traffic, but the vehicles were still acting like there was one. Zane wondered why that is and decided to ask Hailey later.

They drove through the intersection, and Zane saw a gas station, a grocery market, a hardware store, a tavern, a little pet store (Zane wondered what else they kept as pets besides birds, dogs, and those animals. Fish, maybe?). All the buildings had that same river rock and log exteriors, giving them the woodland feel. There was a mix of parking spaces outlined by logs and things where two other logs were sunk into the ground with another one laying across and was secured on top the two next to the sides of the buildings. Zane saw some more of the horses tethered there. Another building which looked like a big wooden barn labeled "Elkhorn Feed and Tack". Zane knew what feed was, but tack? What was tack?

Zane leaned over to Hailey. "What's tack?" He whispered.

"You can't judge someone just because their hair looks ridiculous-" Hailey started, but heard Zane and turned to him. "Oh, hey." She said. "What were you saying?"

"What's tack?" He asked again.

"Tack is the name for the gear we put on our horses to ride them." She said.

"But his songs are overplayed!" Ceasar said from the front.

"Oh, _you're_ overplayed!" She fired back.

Zane watched as the two playfully argued with each other. He wondered who the Weeknd was.

Zane stared out of the window for pretty much the whole two-hour drive. They went along a much smoother (and less bumpier) dirt road. It grew wider, and eventually turned to asphalt, still surrounded by trees. The asphalt road then turned into a two lane road, which then turned into a highway when a sign above the road said "Silverton" with an arrow pointing down the the lane below and said "80 miles".(A/N: I don't own the name. I know it's the name of a town in Colorado but I didn't know that until after I named the city. Don't Copyright me! PLZ!) Sophie switched into that lane.

They continued on that highway for pretty much the whole time, crossing a bridge over a roaring river and stopping to get gas (which made Zane wonder what other natural resources they would have).

Since nothing good was in the radio (again, it made Zane wonder why they have different taste in music), they all took turns being the DJ, using the music on Hailey's phone. Ceasar put on the song "I Gotta Feelin'" because he had a good feeling that the Sharks were going to win, Sophie picked "Hotel California", which Zane recognized as a song Hailey played for him when he was still at bed rest, and it was her turn, Hailey declared a turnup and cranked "Turn Down For What". Once that was over, Hailey passed Zane her phone.

"Pick or pass?" She asked him.

"Uh…" Zane thought. "Pick."

"Then go ahead and pick one."

Zane scrolled through the list of long songs, not sure which one to pick. Eventually he just randomly tapped one.

"Dadadadada, It's the mother****** D-O-Double G-"

"OHNO ZANE TURN IT IT HAS BAD WORDS!" Basically everyone shouted at the same time.

"Okay!" He yelled and turned it to the next.

"I can't feel my face when I'm with you-"

"TURN IT OFF!" Ceasar yelled, hands over his ears.

"Alright!" Zane said and switched it to the next.

"Why you always lying, why you always lying, hmmmmohmygosh, stop f-"

"I just got that song out of my head." Hailey groaned.

Zane was flustered now and switched to the next…

"Look at my horse, my horse is amazing-"

"What's that even doing on there?!" Hailey yelped.

"I don't know!" Zane said and skipped it to the next song.

"You used to call me on my, yea you used to, you used to-"

"NOOOOO!" Everyone yelled, but it was too late. Nobody was in the mood for Drake right now.

"You used to call me on my cellphone, late night when you need my love-"

Zane quickly turned it.

"Obie trice, real name no gimmicks-"

"Two trailer park girls go round the outside, round the outside, round the outside, round the outside!" Hailey started rapping with the song. Nobody else complained this time, but instead cheered her on as she kept with the beat. Zane was actually impressed by her ability to keep with the song, as it went pretty fast.

"I've created a monster, cuz nobody wants to

See Marshall no more they want Shady

I'm chopped liver

Well if you want Shady, then this is what I'll give ya

A little bit of me mixed with some hard liquor

Some vodka that will jumpstart my heart quicker

Then a shock when I get shocked at the hospital

By the Dr. when I'm not cooperating

When I'm rocking the table while he's operating "Hey"!" Hailey rapped.

"OOOOOOOH!" Ceasar said.

"Calm down, Ceasar." Sophie said.

. . .

When the group came into Silverton, Zane did his best to contain his gasp.

Sophie had just merged into the lane, which went over a hill. Behind that hill was a sight Zane had never expected.

It was a metropolis, not too far from Ninjago City in looks. There were overpasses and underpasses weaving past each other, lanes of traffic, off ramps, sound walls to separate the busy highway from residential areas, apartments, railroads, and a few shopping centers. Farther in, in the distance, rose huge skyscrapers, their glass windows reflecting the golden sunset. The mountains rose way off in the distance. Among the bases of the skyscrapers, Zane saw a huge, white square shaped building with a large expanse of parking lot.

They drove deeper into the city. Since they were driving towards the white building, Zane assumed that was their destination. His hunch proved correct when he noticed that the closer they got, the more people were seen wearing Sharks jerseys, walking along the sidewalks. They turned down a few more streets, getting more clogged by the minute. There were people walking and buses all going the same direction, towards the white building. It got closer and closer. Zane could see the large amount of people buzzing around, the palms that were outside, and in big letters "SAP Center".

Through a tunnel with reflective blue rings painted in them, and they emerged into full view of the SAP Center. Traffic, both vehicular and foot, was heavy, and there were traffic cones in between the lanes with people in reflective jackets directing the traffic. Sophie went through all the traffic and took a ramp which led them to a basically empty parking lot. There was a checkpoint where you had to pay for parking.

"Okay Hailey can I use your twenty bucks?" She asked.

"Yea." Hailey pulled a twenty dollar bill from her pocket and handed it to Sophie. "It's cash only?"

Sophie nodded. "I'll pay to back at the ATM once we get inside."

They gave the person the twenty and after getting the all-clear, drove through the parking lot before parking next to the stadium.

"Everyone have everything?" Sophie asked. Hailey, Zane, and Ceasar nodded. It had started to sprinkle, so Hailey got out and pulled out her Packers umbrella she had brought ("Because the weather can and will turn." She said).

"Okay let's go!" Ceaser said. They all got out of the car and started walking across the parking lot, the wind and the sprinkle turning into rain on them, but dampening their spirit none the less. Hailey gave Zane the umbrella so the paint covering his face wouldn't come off. They walked the sidewalk that went around to the entrance and came to the ticket station and got their tickets, went through security before stopping at the front entrances.

"Hey!" Hailey said, pulling out her phone. "Let's get a selfie!"

"Yea!" Caesar said.

Hailey struggled with getting a good angle as everyone (yes, even Zane) posed.

"That's a bad angle!"

"Go up a bit."

"It's too dark!"

"Hey, don't cut my face out!"

"Get closer-wait no, a little out-there! Take it!"

"Got it." Hailey slipped her phone back in her pocket. She nudged Zane. "You liking it so far?" He nodded. They went through the security (somehow the metal detectors didn't go off. Zane and Hailey were obviously baffled). They all made it through clean, and stopped at the entrance.

Looking through the glass doors, Zane saw several 25th anniversary banners, the city seal, and a few other banners hanging from the high ceiling. At one side of the staircase and two escalators was a store, and at the top of the stairs was the way into the rink. Zane looked around. Being around so many people made him a little nervous. What would happen if he was 'discovered'? But he was also taking in what the stadium's view offered as of now.

"I think they're gonna let us on now." Sophie said.

People on blue suits were gathered around, probably to make sure everything was in order before letting in everyone. They stood for several minutes.

"What are we waiting for?" Zane asked.

Hailey shrugged. "Ask Ceaser."

"Waiting to let us in. They said they officially open in fifteen minutes, but it's been more than that now." Sophie answered for him. They stood around some more, more people dressed mainly in black and teal by the minute. Soon they were let inside.

"Going upstairs the thug life way!" Hailey said as they were on the escalator. Sophie laughed. Since Ceaser and Hailey were starting to get hungry, they got some food, Zane getting nachos, Ceasar getting a double cheeseburger, Hailey getting a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, and Sophie buying a barbecue chicken sandwich from Sonoma Chicken.

"Let's take another picture for Uncle Sam!" Hailey suggested. They did and finished eating their food.

"So do you think we should to our seats?" Ceasar asked.

"Yea." Sophie said. They threw their trash away and went to to one of the rink portals. On the way there, they were surrounded by people, which made Zane nervous. They walked up a flight of stairs, to a landing.

As soon as they stepped out, they were greeted by a blast of cold air and a sight Zane had never really seen before.

There was a huge ice rink surrounded in thick glass walls, and a huge Jumbotron suspended from the ceilings, surrounded by huge speakers. Several Division Champions banners hung from the ceiling also with various dates. Slanting upward from the rink were seats and stairs. High above at the ceiling were catwalks and two flags suspended by their sides. One was a white on with a red maple leaf, the other was a black one with a magenta horse head and a magenta border, and what seemed like the head of a dragon on each corner. The color scheme of the flag reminded Zane, uncomfortably, of the Overlord. He shivered at the memory.

"Zane? Are you cold or something?" Hailey asked him, seeing him shiver. _Why would he shiver at our flag?_ She thought.

"Wha-no." He said quickly, shaking his head. Then something covered in a black veil that was suspended above the rink caught his eye.

"What's that?" Zane asked as he pointed to the covered thing.

A wide smile cracked across Hailey's face.

"You'll see." She said as she moved out of the way to let some people pass.

. . .

Gradually, as the stadium filled with more people, Zane, Sophie, Ceasar, and Hailey went down to the bottom where the rink walls were to watch the Sharks practice up close. Zane had to admit, it was cool. Hailey and Ceasar pointed out some of the better known players. Zane watched as Burns glided across the ice on his skates and flicked a thirteen pound lead puck into the net with his stick. It flew in with a resounding _SMACK!_ Hailey got a good picture of the goaltender. They got more pictures and went back to their seats. Then a commentator came on over the speakers, and the Jumbotron showed scores from various other games, sponsors and other things which weren't really important.

"When does the game start?" Zane asked.

"Seven" Ceasar said.

A few minutes later two people came out onto the ice and slowly lower the object in the black cover until it was sitting on the ice. Zane seriously wondered what it was, but everyone told him it would "ruin it".

"What is that?" He asked Hailey for what seemed like the twelfth time.

"Just wait. You'll love it." She said simply. They left it at that.

Soon the stadium was packed and the commentator came back over the speakers.

"Tonight's matchup, the visiting Canucks versus the Sharks."

The logos of the two teams showed up on the Jumbotron together and a sort of sound you would hear at a ballgame sounded. The commentator gave a reminder about certain safety procautions, and other things. Then the Sharks mascot did a grand entrance before the teams were introduced.

"Here are the Canucks." He said as people in green and royal blue jerseys skated out.

"BOOOOOOOO!" Everyone wearing teal and black said.

"And now…"

Suddenly all the lights in the rink darkened. A single, red light shone on the black veil. It fell away to reveal a massive acrylic shark head which, by the way the bottom jaw was cut, looked like it was coming out of the ice. It's eyes glowed red, a red light and thick fog coming out from its jaws. Some heavy metal music started coming out of the speakers.

"Please welcome your Sharks!"

"YEEEAAAAAAA!" Practically everyone screamed as the Sharks players came dashing out from the shark's jaws and circling on their half of the ice. Zane watched in awe. It has was very interesting to him, it was a good adrenaline rush. After that, the game began.

Zane was a little surprised at the brutality of the sport, people from opposite teams pinning and sandwiching each other between the glass. Nothing happened for a few minutes. But then Ward from the Sharks got a hold of the puck and flew down to the Canuck's goal.

"COME ON, WARD!" Ceasar shouted among the others.

"YOU GOT THIS!" Hailey added

But they both sighed in frustration as Ward missed the goal and the goalie passed the puck to a Canuck behind him. He tried to pass it to his teammate, but another Shark stole it away and flicked it at the goal. The goalie tried stopping it while the Shark tried getting it in, so there was a slight scuffle for a split second. Then Zane saw the puck slide into the net.

The crowd roared as an air horn blared over the speakers, red lights behind the goal lit up, and the Sharks were celebrating.

"YEEEAAH!" Hailey, Ceasar, and Sophie screamed as they jumped out of their chairs.

"WINNING THE LOTTERY BE LIKE!" Hailey whooped.

That's what I'm talking about!" Ceaser said, high fiving the person next to him. The sound of the air horn and everybody in the stands hooting and hollering pierced Zane's ears a little.

1-0, Sharks.

Again, back and forth, steal away after steal away. But then things got tense as a Canuck stole the puck and headed towards the Sharks goal. Three others followed. It was four on four. But nobody was able to stop them as each Canuck passed it to another. Finally, one of them found an opportunity and took it. The Canuck swung the stick, making the puck zoom past the goalie's legs and into the goal. The lights lit up, but there was no airhorn.

Hailey and Ceasar groaned.

"Come on!" Ceasar said.

"Calm down Ceasar it's only first period." Hailey said, bummed out as she was.

"So the Canucks scored?" Zane asked. They both nodded glumly.

1-1, tie game.

The overall game was very eventful, and not boring at all and by the second period Zane was in it. He cheered when the Sharks scored, showed his frustration when they missed an opportunity to score a goal or if the Canucks scored, did the chants and jaws during the power plays, and even high fives a few people when the Sharks did score. All five recoiled from his icy touch. Hailey and Ceasar tried so hard to get on the Jumbotron but the cameraman never seemed to notice them.

The Sharks had a good lead, but eventually the Canucks overpowered them, the final score being 4-2. One was scored as the puck slid into an empty net. Despite the Sharks losing, Hailey was still in good spirits. "At least it was fun." She had said. Zane was also still excited from the game.

"Well, it could've been worse." Hailey said as they walked back to the car. It was still raining and it was cold. "The loss wasn't crushing, it wasn't the playoffs, and it sure for the heck wasn't against the Kings-"

"Oh, don't remind me." Ceaser butted in. "If we lost against the Kings, I would've been so mad!"

"It was still fun though!" Hailey said. "I'm probably gonna wake up sounding like AC/DC tomorrow, but who cares?"

"That activity was quite engaging." Zane said. "It was alarmingly brutal to me, though." Zane recalled players on both sides getting tripped, face planting in the ice, sandwiched, smacked and slapped on the legs with the hockey sticks. "Are there any players that receive care after the game?"

"Pretty sure."

"Get in the car, hurry!" Sophie said as she unlocked it. "Before we all get soaked."

"Well, I'm sorry the Sharks lost." Sophie apologized as they pulled into the highway.

"It's okay! All great things come to an end!"

"That's true!" Ceaser agreed.

"And at least it wasn't against the Kings! If we lost to them, I would be in a sour mood, and if we won, I would be laughing my butt off!"

"Are the Kings rivals with the Sharks?" Zane asked.

"Oh yea!" Ceaser said. "They ended our playoff hopes last year!"

Suddenly rain kicked up from a car in front of them thwack loudly on the window, almost giving Hailey a heart attack.

"OH MY GOD!" She said, hand over her chest. "What did I ever do to you, water?!" She laughed.

On the way home, Ceasar and Zane both fell asleep. Hailey stayed awake the whole time. It seemed like he had barely closed his eyes when Hailey was poking him in the shoulder.

"Zane, wake up." Hailey said. "We're home."

Hailey and Zane both got out of the car, thanked Sophie for taking them, and went up the front porch. Samuel was asleep, being midnight when came home, so Hailey used the key under a potion the front yard.

"Good night." She said, trudging up to her room.

"Good night." Zane said back. He was too exhausted to change, so there he lay, fast asleep, facedown on his bed.

 **Yea, I just kinda wanted to get this one done. After this I'm gonna pause the story until school ends. DONT WORRY! Rest assured, I have tons more planned! Just give me some time! Thank U all!**


	24. Chapter 24: Hope and Doubt

**Y HALO THAR! Before I say anything else (whoops!), shoutout to the Night Ninja who typed 99% of this chapter, I just did punctuation corrections and added a few words and dialogue here and there. I know I've been neglecting the ninja's P.O.V, so I asked Night Ninja for help, as she's good with those things. And guess what? School is almost over (June 10, Vixenlovesninjago)! Which means MORE WRITING! YAY!** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER THAT NIGHT NINJA WROTE!**

The ghost activity had died down a little bit, and as you would expect, the ninja were using this time to look for Zane. Kai had snapped out of his deep caring just for Lloyd and realized that the team was to be tore apart of Zane wasn't found. Still, nobody or any place have any sign of the missing nindroid. The planned search area for that day was the Forest of Tranquility. But the forest offered nothing to give the ninja team any clues of Zane's whereabouts. It was mainly Cole who kept the search on.

"At this rate we'll never find him!" exclaimed Jay after yet another day of searching.

"Yeah Cole, we understand that you feel obligated to find him, but it's been weeks and every possible location has turned up without a trace of him." said Kai.

"There are still several places we haven't checked." said Cole. He crossed his arms. "And I won't stop until I know for sure all is lost. And I don't think so just yet."

"Cole, face it. Even if he was still out there, we can't hunt ghosts and look for Zane at the same time." said Kai.

"Yeah, the people of ninjago take priority, Zane would want us to help them before aimlessly wandering the known world looking for him." said Nya gently.

"AND I MADE A PROMISE TO P.I.X.A.L THAT I'D FIND HIM!" screamed Cole before he started breaking down in tears. He failed, failed Zane, failed P.I.X.A.L, failed the team, failed Ninjago.

Kai let out a sigh and placed a comforting hand on Cole's shoulder.

"Look Cole, if you want to keep looking for Zane then you can, the rest of us need to protect the people." said Kai.

"I thought we were a team!" cried Cole. "I thought we protected each other! We lost Zane once and it tore us apart, I don't want that to happen again!"

"Cole, listen the only one who is driving us apart is you,you're the only one who wants to keep looking for Zane, if we're going to stay a team maybe you should listen to your head before your heart." said Kai.

"AND MAYBE IT'S TIME THE PEOPLE OF NINJAGO START LOOKING AFTER THEMSELVES! DON'T THEY HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE PAID TO PROTECT THEM? I THINK WHAT YOU'RE ALL REALLY SAYING IS THAT NONE OF YOU CARE THAT ZANE COULD BE OUT THERE, LOST, ALONE, SCARED, HURT, OR EVEN DEAD AND YOU DON'T GIVE A STONE WARRIOR ABOUT IT!" screamed Cole. Then he collapsed into a sobbing mess of tears.

"Cole please, we do care about Zane. But this search is taking so long, that our hope is virtually gone." Jay said.

Cole didn't listen. He just kept sobbing. Kai sighed.

"Tell you what." He said. "We'll give it another week before we stop looking ourselves, but we can still have the Ultradragon and falcon looking for him." said Kai gently.

This time, Cole listened. He sat up and wiped his nose.

"Alright" He sniffed. "One more week."

"Sometimes hope is all a ninja has and if we hold onto it we can do anything" said Nya.

 **There ya go, Ninja Pony! No need to worry about a hiatus notice! I just put that up because I didn't want to seem like I abandoned the story. How did you like it?** **Omg a dove just flew past my window.** **There's birds EVERYWHERE!**


	25. Chapter 25: A Very Sensitive Subject

**HALOOOOO THAR! I'M BACK WITH CHAP #25! WHOOO!** **There is, within this chapter, a somewhat inaccuracy. In the chapter, Hailey mentions that a pistol was what she pointed at Zane when she found him. I know in the chapter it was a bow, but I couldn't submit the edited form. I'll try again soon, though.** **Ninja Pony: Glad to hear it! I don't like hiatus notices either.** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER!**

"Krusty Krab pizza, is the pizza for a-you and me!" Hailey sang as she carried a pizza box to the recycle bin. It was twilight, the sun had barely finished setting and the stars were barely starting to show, and the sky was a pale shade of lavender. The moon had not yet risen from behind the mountains.

Zane poked his head out the door. "What are you singing?"

"KRUSTY KRAAAB!" Hailey yelled as she drop kicked the pizza box. It flew through the air and landed not too far from the light blue bin. Hailey picked it up and tossed it in.

"You were saying what now?" She asked as she dusted off her hands and walked back to the door.

"What were you singing?"

"Something from my favorite TV show when I was little." Hailey said as she walked back up the stairs. "Also something I saw on a v-"

Suddenly a cool breeze blowing from the south kicked up and something from behind the house fell or tipped over with a hollow, metallic noise.

"What was that?" Zane asked Hailey. She was halfway through the door.

"Probably my practice tins. They're in a cardboard box. I gotta find a crate to put them in." Hailey replied as she walked back down the steps.

"Practice tins?"

Hailey gestured Zane to follow. He didn't need to stay in the house, because it was getting dark out and nobody would be out at this time. Zane slipped out of the house to follow her. He caught up with Hailey as they were walking out past a round pen. There were three stalls. In them were two horses, the other empty. One he recognized as Hailey's. The other was a big grey one with a greasy black mane and tail which Zane didn't recognized.

"Who's horse is that?" Zane asked as they walked past.

"Gunsmoke. Uncle Sam's horse."

They walked past the pen to an open field behind the house, which then Hailey took out her phone and turned on the flashlight on it. They walked into the field. Past the grass Zane saw a raised split log. As they got closer, Zane saw several rusty tin cans laying scattered in the grass. He guessed that they had been sitting on there when they were blown over.

Hailey and Zane walked to the log, and Hailey set her phone on it before picking the cans up.

"Do you need help?" Zane asked.

"Sure, if you want." She said. She took her armful of cans and put them in a cardboard box full of tin ones behind the log. "Take the ones on the other side."

Zane started getting the cans on the opposite side of Hailey. He was picking one up when he saw it was full of holes.

"Hm." He muttered as he examined the can closer. It was a normal soup can, but it was rusty and the holes were round and perfect, but it also seemed like they were stabbed in.

"Why does the can have so many holes?" He asked Hailey as he dumped his load in the box.

"I said it before. I practice on them."

"With what?"

"My pistol. Uncle Sam said I should work on my aim a little more."

Zane took a can out from its box. It was peppered with holes.

"May I scan it?" He asked.

Hailey shrugged. "Knock yourself out."

Zane scanned it while Hailey looked around the log to make sure they didn't miss any. Whatever had made the holes, it wasn't a weapon Zane was familiar with. He grunted.

"I don't mean to burden you with questions, but what's a pistol?" He asked. Hailey came back empty handed.

"It's my gun." Hailey said as she took her phone off from the log. She stuck it in her pocket.

"Excuse me? A gun?"

"Yea. You know that thing I pointed at your face when I found you? That's a gun."

"Oh." Zane said. "It's a weapon, yes?"

"Yup." Hailey said. They walked back towards the house. "We also call it a firearm."

She turned to glance at him. Zane had to walk faster than normal to keep us with her fast pace.

"You're a ninja, you said. What do you fight with?"

"Shurikens." He said. "I use a pair of sai or a sword now, but my main weapon used to be shurikens."

Hailey stopped walking.

"A what?"

"It's called a shuriken." Zane explained. "It looks like this…"

Zane drew with the tip of his foot in the dirt of what a shuriken looked like. Hailey studied it.

"Looks a little bit like a star." She observed.

Zane nodded as he finished drawing. "It's also called a throwing star."

"So you throw it, basically." It sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Hence the name, yes. It returns to you like a boomerang if you were to throw it correctly."

"How do you throw it?"

"You don't know how to throw?"

"No, I know how to throw! I throw a football to Uncle Sam basically every other day! I mean the technique. How do you throw it correctly?"

"This." Zane said. He did a motion as if he were throwing a shuriken. Hailey copied the move and almost landed flat on her face. None of them knew why.

"You mean to tell me you actually engage in combat with those things?!" She cried as she regained her footing.

Zane nodded.

"What damage can those things cause?"

"Well, they can sever ropes, pin a person to a wall of you throw a pair, and mine used to shoot beams of ice and freeze anything it came into contact with."

Hailey looked at him disbelievingly.

"You're kidding."

"I am most certainly not."

"What kind of weapon does that?"

"A very special kind. The Golden Weapons. But they were destroyed."

"Hm." Hailey said. "How long ago?"

Zane thought.

"Approximately a year ago." He said. "Before I-"

Zane stopped. Should he tell Hailey about his sacrifice to the Overlord?

"Before you what?" Hailey asked slowly.

Tell her. He told himself. It won't hurt that she knows.

"Well, it's difficult to explain, but when the Overlord was threatening my brothers-"

"Waitwaitwaitwait! Did you say Overlord?!"

Zane was mildly surprised by her outburst.

"Yes…" He said unsurely.

Hailey looked at him, obviously intrigued. And there was another expression there which Zane couldn't really read.

"Sorry. Go on."

"As I was saying. The Overlord had taken over Ninjago City, and his golden power had all my brothers caught in it but me." He told his tale about how he sacrificed himself to defeat the Overlord, and how he was captured by Ronin and brought to Chen's island, and how his brothers found him and freed him. Hailey listened the whole time. She was very interested.

"My appearance wasn't always like this." Zane said as he finished. "It was a result of rebuilding myself after I died."

"Wow.." Hailey said once he was done. "You really did all that?"

Zane nodded. Hailey found it very hard to believe, but as much as Hailey knew about Ninjago, here was a lot she didn't know as well.

Hailey thought of when Zane told her he destroyed the Overlord two summers ago, and a she thought of a strange coincidence.

"That's weird…" Hailey said., almost to herself.

"What is odd?" Zane asked.

"Something happened two summers ago…" She muttered. She looked down at the ground, rubbing her chin, and glanced back up.

"What was the exact date you died?" She asked him. "I know, it might be a little sensitive." She added quickly.

Zane shook his head.

"Nonsense. I believe I deceased on November 26, two years from this date."

"How weird." Hailey said. She pulled her phone from her back pocket and typed something in. "That same day, we had an earthquake."

Zane was surprised.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yup." Hailey said. She showed him her phone screen. It showed the date of the earthquake. Sure enough, it was in November 26, 2014, at 7:34 pm.

"They said the epicenter was beneath Travers Lake. 6.1 on the Richter scale. We felt it too. The magnitude was only 4.5, though."

"But what makes it so significant?"

"What makes it so significant, Zane," Hailey said in a low tone.

"Is that Mt. Horn has ties to the Overlord."

Zane recoiled at those words. We're these people descendants of him?

"He WHAT?!"

"I'm not saying we're evil or anything!" Hailey said. She threw her hands up into the air. "I'm harmless! So is everyone else here! Well, except for criminals, but they're everywhere! All I'm saying is that the Overlord is related to this place indirectly!"

Zane calmed down a little bit and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" He asked. "How so?"

Hailey tried to come up with an explanation but instead dropped her hand into her face and sighed.

"It's hard to understand if you don't see it in the Mt. Horn perspective, which you don't." She said. "You're from Ninjago, you fought the Overlord as an enemy. To us, he kinda gave us this place."

Zane was mystified. Did the Overlord gift this land to these people?

"He gave it to you?"

"Come. The book ought to explain it better than me." Hailey said. Together they both went back into the house.

As Zane walked back up the front steps and into the living room, he wondered. What book? Was it a sort of religious book? Or was it more like a history textbook in school?

He found out soon enough.

"Follow me. I have a book on Mt. Horn's history." Hailey said as they walked down a hallway at the top of the stairs. There was a cabinet with a counter and several doors down it. Hailey opened the one that had a pair of deer antlers mounted on it.

"My room." She said as she went inside. "You can come in if you want."

Zane stepped through the door. It was a large room, the walls also made of polished timbers and the light clay filling like the rest of the house with a vaulted ceiling and the support beams. The floor was also finished wood planks. Two large square windows on the far side of the room would've offered a great view outside, but they were covered by dark brown drapes. Also at one corner of the far room was a long desk. On it was a computer (what?), a lamp with an elk design, and a few papers. There was a bookshelf made of pinewood, which was chock full of books. Next to that was a saddle on a stand. It had silver trim with intricate designs. On the other side, below the second window, was a bed. It had a turquoise and brown design, and the bed frame was made of logs with the bark still on it. Above was a pair of horns from a steer. Zane walked out to the center of Hailey's room, where there was a brown cowhide rug. On the wall on the right side of the doorway was a wooden piece of furniture that resembled a china cabinet. On the other side there was a closet and Hailey's guitar on a stand in the corner. On the wall of the book shelf was a picture of a wild spotted horse. Above the desk was a long one with an elk. Zane noticed the ongoing theme with the elk and wondered why. Tacked and draped on the opposite wall was the same flag he had seen at the hockey rink. Again he shuddered.

"Found it." Hailey said. She had been searching through the bookshelf and gestured Zane to come to the desk. When he got there, he saw the book.

The cover of the book was black leather material. In golden words "History of Mt. Horn" and set within a golden double rectangular border. Below it was detailed gold outline of a dragon. The book was a bit on the thicker side. Hailey pushed the book to Zane.

"Required reading for tonight." She said as she walked out of the room. "I gotta go feed Ranger."

Zane took a look at the book cover and and walked out of Hailey's room with it, heading downstairs. There he sat on the couch and opened the book, flipping to the first page. It was titled "Introduction".

"Located at the extreme southern tip of the continent, Mt. Horn is a 350 mile stretch of treacherous mountain range that encircles the entire valley in a complete ring. Blizzards blow at the peaks year-round, but of course, at its strongest in winter. A seemingly bottomless ravine encircles the range also, but thins out at the Chinook coast, at the other side of the eastern chain. Historians and geologists both argue over the ravine's origins; some say it was a result of an earthquake phenomenon, others say that it was a result from the Four Legends creating the land fit for life, although it's purpose at that time is unclear. The rugged mountains, the ravine, the tangles of the nearly unnavigable Phantom's Forest, and the inhospitable weather all make a virtually impenetrable barrier of natural defenses that keep Mt. Horn and its people from most outsiders, although there have been a few occasions where invading Serpentine and Calusán have been able to infiltrate and wreak havoc on the land and people. One such example is the Yukon Invasion. For a map of Mt. Horn, turn to the end of this book. For a section on the Yukon Invasion, tu For more information on the Four Legends, turn to page 36."

Zane, intrigued by the term "Four Legends", flipped to page 36, past other things such as battles and various wars they fought. On the page he was looking for, it was simply titled "The Four Legends". He began reading.

"When Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master, the Overlord had plans to rule the land and shape it into his own image."

Zane stopped reading. How did these people know so much about Ninjago and its history?!

'Maybe it'll tell further in the text.' He thought and continued.

"He had countless encounters with the Master in the past and was almost defeated that many times. The Overlord, fearing that he may once be defeated once and for all, and for no one to continue his wicked legacy, created five sons, all dragons, just like him. The Overlord created them out of the four main elements-Cyclone was created from ice. Spitfire was created from flame. Witherwings was of lightning, and Bucktooth was born of rock. As far as to how they were created, it is unknown. Most say it was some sort of black magic the Overlord now lack(ed)s. But all these were all elements the Master possessed. As a secret weapon, he created Riptide from the waters of the ocean. The Overlord raised his sons and trained them for their purpose. When he figured the time was right, the Overlord told his sons of their use. But, as evil as their father was, the hearts of the sons were pure. But Cyclone, Witherwings, Bucktooth, and Spitfire did not dare show their defiance, for fear of being severely punished if they did so.

But Riptide saw no good in the plan and showed it. The Overlord, seeing him as an obstacle, killed him by kicking him into the sea. It is also fabled that Bucktooth turned the sea dragon's body into stone. The Overlord clawed Bucktooth's throat, and a massive fight ensued. The Overlord then realized all his sons were against him and was bent on their destruction. Despite their efforts, the sons could not defeat their father and fled for their lives. Taking shelter at the bottom of a extremely deep trench that ran around a barren range of virtually impassable stone mountains (what is now Mt. Horn).

Deciding to split up for safety, the four dragons hid themselves away in caves at the bottom of the trench. Consequently, the caves they his in were facing exactly north, south, east, and west. The Overlord eventually found their hiding spot, but instead of killing, he decided to imprison his sons there by creating an impenetrable barrier of dark magic that kept them in. Then he left to finish his conquest.

It was then that the brothers decided to give the valley inside the range life. Using their powers, the four dragons made the valley suitable for life. However, it is unknown exactly how. When humans and animals evolved and started inhabiting the range, the four dragons decided to give the people of the valley the gift of an animal like no other-the created the first horse, which possessed the strength of Bucktooth, the swiftness of Witherwings, the fiery spirit and pride of Spitfire, and the wisdom and grace of Cyclone. The horse they created had a coat as black as night and a mane and tail of purple flame. It's said that at night the Shadow Charger descended from the mountains and would roam freely around the valley. Every so often, when the Shadow Charger walked, an ancient ancestor of the modern horse appeared. At the first sign of dawn, the Shadow Charger would return to the mountains and repeat the process at night. The area in which he hid is mainly believed to be Charger Major. After the horses began to multiply and populate in greater numbers, the Shadow Charger was called back by the four dragons, and at the next full moon, went to the highest peak in the range where he dissolved into a cloud of purple aurora. Centuries later, he would come back to a call of duty.

At this time, the four dragons were slowly but surely dying from their wounds that their father had inflicted upon them. They came together and agreed that they were to be turned to stone so they could be freed by the power of their father if the range and people were to ever be in grave danger. Cyclone had vague future telling skills and predicted that someone would come along, harness the Overlord's power and put it to good use. Bucktooth petrified the others before himself. But as their flesh and bone became rock, their spirits escaped with the intent to protect the valley and chase out outsiders from entering so that the people within would never have to fear of danger.

Meanwhile, the Overlord had been defeated by the First Spinjitzu Master. He was now nothing more than a glowing ball of energy, stripped of his dark power, which was absorbed by the First Spinjitzu Master. He banished the evil entity to the Dark Island. Soon after, he went on a search to pass on the power who would put it to good use. He had also forged a sword that housed the spirit of the Shadow Charger. He passed the power and sword on to a military bowman in a cavalry unit. The First Spinjitzu Master made him take an oath to never use it for evil and showed him how to control it. Once he was satisfied that the bowman knew the basics, the First Spinjitzu Master left.

The bowman kept his word. His skills and abilities were devastating in battle, and he quickly earned respect and moved up through the ranks, and even given a title. The Dark Archer. He quickly became a savior to the people of Mt. Horn, as he protected them from countless attacks from mainly Serpentine and later the Calusan. He also told them about the Four Legends. But as powerful as he was, he was only human. Dying from old age, and fearing the weapons he carried would fall into the wrong hands, he mounted the Shadow Charger for one final time and traveled to the bottom of the ravine and to where the Four Legends were petrified. It's believed to me miles underground. He left them with the statues, where they were encased in stone. Then the Dark Archer collapsed dead, his body dissipated into a cloud of purple aurora. The following night, there was a huge earthquake. Rock and slag fell away on the faces on the mountains, revealing something amazing-a rough stone head of each dragon. To the west, A stone which looked like Bucktooth stuck out of the mountains of the west. East, Cyclone. North, Spitfire. South, Witherwings. All had a waterfall pouring out of their mouths. These waterfalls eventually formed rivers, which formed a lake, thought to represent Riptide. Life continued on in the range, with its discoveries and evolutions, adapting and moderning. But, to this very day, it is said in Mt. Horn, that on the night of a full moon, when Mt. Horn is in great danger, the descendant of the Dark Archer will vanish and fulfill his duties, release the dragons from their dormant state, and save our beloved land from total destruction."

Zane finished the section. Questions were now buzzing through his head. How did these people know so much about Ninjago, but not the other way around? How did they know about the First Spinjitzu Master? How did they know this if it all happened centuries upon centuries ago? How did they know about the elements? How did they know about the Dark Island? Why hadn't Sensei ever, EVER mentioned anything about the First Spinjitzu Master visiting such a place? Why hadn't he told them the Overlord had sons? And how did they even know the name of the continent? How? Why? Did the people of Mt. Horn know something the people of Ninjago didn't?

Zane was startled out of his thoughts as the door opened. He looked over his shoulder to see Hailey coming back in.

"How do you have so much knowledge about us?" Was the first question Zane asked. Hailey was taking off her boots but stopped to look at Zane.

"Knowledge about what?"

"How do you know about the First Spinjitzu Master? How do you know about the name of Ninjago? How did you know the Overlord had sons? How come we didn't know?"

Hailey came over to the couch where Zane was sitting.

"Listen Zane." She began. "Me myself, I honestly don't know. I didn't write the book, I was just taught that."

"Who wrote the book?" Zane said. He looked at the author's name. "Who is this?"

"Zane, again, I don't know. But all I do know is that whoever wrote the book is long dead."

"But how, why do know about us so much?"

"I said I don't know! I'm only fourteen, I'm only a kid, I haven't even finished my history unit yet! So I don't freaking know! Half of us don't even know! All we do know is that we know a lot about you, the Overlord did have sons, and we know what we know! But how, your guess is as good as mine! I. Don't. Know!"

Zane sensed that Hailey wasn't lying. She honestly had no idea. Now she seemed irritated, and he felt bad.

"Sorry." Zane muttered.

"No." Hailey sighed. "It's okay. You didn't know. I would probably be asking the same things if I were you. And as much as we do know, there's a lot more we don't either."

Zane was a little relieved.

"I never knew the Overlord had sons…" He muttered to himself.

"They're on the next page." Hailey said.

Zane flipped the page. On the first one was a detailed outline of a dragon. It had four legs, a blunt snout, a long, rather aerodynamic looking body, and huge wings. A row of spikes that resembled razor saw blades and ran all the way to the back of its head. From there they stopped and a row of spaced spikes ran along its back. Beneath the sketch read "Witherwings", and a paragraph briefly describing the dragon. There wasn't much, but it mainly focused on how the dragon was the dragon of lightning and the corresponding stone waterfall was located to the south, and how that being his "area" may have an effect as to why the storms in that region were so bad.

On the page next to it was another dragon drawing. This dragon stood on two legs in a regal stance. This one had a tapered snout with a spike above its nose and had some "frilling" (think Shard!) where its head joined its long neck. Above its eyes was a pair of spiraling impala horns. Running down its back was again the spines that got smaller as they neared the tail. "Cyclone" was the name. The paragraph described its element and stone head and how it affected that region.

The next two pages were the same thing, each having a picture of a dragon and a name and a brief description of each.

Under "Spitfire" was a dragon that seemed very snakelike, but his head was clearly dragon and he had front legs and wings. On its head was a heavy rhino horn with smaller spines running all the way down its back.

Zane looked at the next page, and he gasped.

The drawing, which seemed to be staring at him in the eye, was the exact same dragon he had seen in the mountains.

Hailey saw his reaction.

"What's wrong?" She asked, worried. If he was human, Hailey would've bet Zane's face would be losing color at this second.

'Should I tell her about the dragon?' He thought. Her sudden outburst about the Overlord didn't make the thought of telling her comfortable.

He looked at Hailey, who still had a concerned expression on her face, but at the same time questionable.

'No.' He decided. 'Save that for a better time.'

"Uh-no." Zane said quickly. "It was just…" He looked at the image of the dragon. "Just..."

He looked at the drawing to see if there was anything that would intimidate any person who looked at it. He noticed its glaring look which he had seen at first and its stance, as well as its muscles.

"It's just intimidating." He said. "And very imposing. The expression this dragon has is very…"

"Hard?" Hailey suggested as he tried to find the right word. Zane nodded.

"That's right. The dragon has a very hard glare."

"I know." Hailey agreed. "A death glare like that would make even the Cherokee Devil flee in terror!"

"Cherokee Devil?" Zane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh yea." Hailey said. She nodded. "It's sort of a myth."

"I am intrigued. Do tell more about this 'Cherokee Devil'."

"Okay then. You know what a Bigfoot or a Sasquatch is, right?"

Zane nodded. 'So we're familiar in some ways.'

"Well," Hailey began. "Think about the Cherokee Devil as a Sasquatch that stands about eight feet tall. He has shaggy silver-white hair and glowing red eyes. Don't ask me why, because I don't know, but he's also rumored to have mind-controlling powers."

"Is there any background story or legend that makes this cryptid so significant?"

Hailey thought for a moment.

"I honestly don't know." She said after a few seconds. "But I heard he isn't the friendliest thing around. Luckily he's said to inhabit the swamp and bayous of Northwest. Still, half the reason I come home whenever I'm out before sundown doesn't have to do with Uncle Sam saying so."

"Have you ever had an experience with the Cherokee Devil yourself?" Zane asked. But Hailey was already shaking her head.

"Oh, nonononono. Not like I want to either." Hailey paused to think for a moment more.

"I think Uncle Sam has, though. Maybe you should ask him."

"Ask me what?"

Both Zane and Hailey turned around to see Samuel carrying a couple logs of wood.

"I'll get those." Hailey said. She got up and took the logs and set them down by the fireplace.

"Hailey informed me that you had an experience with this so-called 'Cherokee Devil'. She was explaining it to me and I asked her whether she'd seen it or not."

"I said no." Hailey said, stacking the logs with the others. "But I remember you telling me you did, so I told him to ask you."

Samuel cleared his throat.

"I did. I was only thirteen when it happened." He beckoned Zane to follow. "I even got a picture of it."

"And you never even bothered to tell me?!" Hailey cried.

"May I remind you we didn't have your fancy iPhones back in my day!"

Hailey rolled her eyes.

"Oh boy, here we go with the whole 'back in my day' thing." She made quotations with her fingers.

Zane and Hailey both followed Samuel to the garage. He went over to a workbench at the far side and opened one of the drawers.

"It could be anywhere…" He said to himself. "I don't go in here often."

(A/N: I don't think I described the garage before, so I'll do it now. Sorry!)

The garage was rather spacious. In one corner by a door at the back wall that led to what Zane thought was the backyard, two ATV's and a dirtbike were parked. Next to that in the corner, something was covered in a tarp. It seemed like some sort of sled. On the wall across from him, there was Samuel's workbench and a industrial shelf where there were various power tools and a big toolbox. On the ceiling was a row of small racks of deer antlers which all hung on a wooden pole. There was also a vintage dartboard, and next to it was a wooden table with various darts and little boxes. The walls had various pictures of firearm brands, including a Winchester one with all the manufactured bullets shown and arranged into a 'W'.

"Here it is." Samuel said. He took out a black and white small photograph. Zane and Hailey walked over to him. He held it out to Zane. He took it gently and examined.

The image was grainy and black and white, but it was clearly taken in a forest. There were many dark shapes of tree trunks.

"Right there." Samuel said, pointing in the area in the right center. Zane peered closer and indeed saw a dark grey human-like figure standing there. Where it's eyes were supposed to be was a lighter shade of grey, the glow from the Cherokee Devil's eyes. He shivered.

"I was thirteen when it happened. Walking in the woods to check on my traps when I saw it. Luckily I had my camera on me. It literally seemed to be staring at me. And I stared back. After that it disappeared, and I ran back home to tell what happened. Nobody believed me until I slapped the picture on the table and said 'There. I have proof. Now tell me that ain't the Cherokee Devil!'. After that, some investigators went back to the site where I saw it and sure enough, they found huge footprints."

"Did you ever see it again?" Zane asked.

"No." Samuel answered. "The first, only, and I think the last time I'll ever see that thing again."

Zane handed the image back to Samuel, who handed it to Hailey. She studied it.

"Hmp." She said gruffly. "Seems real enough."

Zane glanced in the direction to the workbench when something silver caught his eye. He looked and saw that there was a lower shelf. On that shelf sat a long, black case with silver snaps. It was covered in dust and looked like it hadn't been opened in a long, long time.

"What's that?" Zane asked. He pointed to the case. Samuel and Hailey turned around to see where he was pointing.

"Er-" Samuel began. "I don't know. I reorganized the garage recently and I kinda lost track of what is what."

Samuel took the case from the shelf and laid it on his workbench before undoing all the snaps and lifting the lid.

There, in the case was an old rifle. It's metal parts were rusted, tarnished, and some areas were dented. The wood on it was dull and splintered and several very deep marks were gouged in it. On the butt of it, Zane could barely make out a star in a circle that was branded there.

Samuel lifted the gun out of its case and held it.

"Oh. That's what this is." He said, grinning. "You see, this was my first gun that was issued to me in the Mountain Guard. A .50 caliber Flintlock Rifle, this is." Samuel hefted it into his hand and twirled it. "We're more like a lower branch of the army, so as you can imagine, we don't get as much funding like the Navy and Mt. Horn National Guard do, so these guns are the nicest we can get. But that still doesn't mean their not good. They are, to say the least. Thing's never jammed on me, rupture a barrel, nothing of that sort. You just gotta keep it nice and dry." He pretended to load it and aimed for a pretend target. "I can't believe I hadn't touched it all these years, ever since-"

Suddenly Samuel froze. The grin on his face vanished and the color drained from his face. His eyes started to become wet. His breath became quick and shaky. He slowly looked down at the rifle, and turned it on its side, eyeing the deep gouges in its wood. His hands started to tremble. It looked like something was about to come up, but Samuel forced it back down his throat, kind of like vomiting, but more as if he was trying to not let it show, as if he was trying to block out a bad memory. He tensed and suddenly seemed very anxious. His hands trembled and he let the rifle slip out of his hands and fall to the ground. He started breaking out into a cold sweat.

"Samuel?" Zane asked. "Are you alright?"

Samuel turned away, clenching and unclenching his fists. He close his eyes and grimaced.

"Excuse me for a minute." He choked. Without another word, Samuel almost ran out of the garage. The door shut loudly, almost a slam.

Zane could only state after where Samuel disappeared, gaping.

"Really Zane?!" Hailey scolded, obviously displeased. "Really?!"

Zane turned around to her. Hailey looked very upset and was giving him a death glare.

"Was it something I said?"

"Something you said? Something you said?! Of course it was-"

Hailey saw Zane flinch at her tone of voice and instantly regretted it. She took a deep breath to calm her anger.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Zane." She said calmly. "I just get really ticked off when someone reminds Uncle Sam and that happens. But you didn't know. I can't hold that against you."

Zane nodded. He was a little taken aback when Hailey snapped at him, because, knowing her a little better, it was totally unlike her. But she caught herself and immediately apologized.

"It's okay." He said. He glanced in the direction where Samuel disappeared back into the house. "I apologize for making Samuel upset, although I don't know the exact cause."

"Like I said, you didn't know." Hailey replied. "But now you do. So just be careful if you're mentioning anything like warfare, alright?"

Again Zane nodded.

"I know I should not be asking this maybe, but what causes Samuel to be so sensitive to subjects related to combat?" He asked. Hailey sighed.

"Okay, if you really want to know, I'll tell you. I don't know if I should, but..." She gestured Zane to come closer.

"Uncle Sam has really bad combat PTSD." She said in a low voice.

"Post traumatic stress disorder?" Hailey nodded.

"Very much yes. And he has to be careful. Seeing or hearing certain things can remind him of engagements he's been in and he can have a really bad nightmare or flashback. He can be totally fine, then he senses something that reminds him, and then he's really on edge, nervous, jumpy and whatnot. One time he absolutely refused to go down into the subway station when we were on a trip to the aquarium because his PTSD was acting up."

Hailey hoisted up the rifle. Zane looked at it.

"Was the rifle the cause?" He asked.

"Of what happened just now?"

"Yes."

Hailey took it in both hands and looked at it.

"Yes, but…"

"But what?"

"I don't think I should tell you what happened. I don't even know much about it myself, but even though I trust you, I don't think Uncle Sam would want me telling you. It's a very touchy subject for him. All I can tell you is that it was one event, and it must've been horrifying. It scarred him for life." She took the rifle under her shoulder. "All I do know is that after that event happened, the rifle kept giving him bad flashbacks and the Mountain Guard issued him a new one." Hailey again hefted the weight of the rifle and held it properly. "Why he kept it still is beyond me. Personally, I would've gotten rid of it right away."

Hailey turned the rifle on its side. She ran her fingers over the holes and scrapes on the wood.

"Maybe that's what made these." She said. "The bullets. Half of them look like they were from a AEK-971, 5.45x39 millimeter cartridges. A hunting rifle wouldn't stand a chance against those things."

"What's an AEK-971?"

"A automatic or semi-automatic assault rifle. Designed in 1978. The Calusán use them. Those suckers can be devastating if the person behind it can use it correctly, if you know what I mean."

Hailey knew what Zane was about to say next.

"To make a long answer short, the Calusán are a large tribe of people who live southeast of here, outside Mt. Horn territory. Basically they consider us enemies and have always been trying to attack us for centuries."

"Was there any event which made them develop those feeling towards you?" Zane asked. Hailey shook her head.

"No. We never did anything to them. None of us even know the clear motive behind the Yukon Invasion! They've always seemed to hate us for no particular reason at all! We try to reason with them, but they killed three of our negotiators that were sent to talk with their leader, which was last year. They're constantly in civil war and blame us for all their problems. But we keep to ourselves. I'm telling you Zane, those people aren't afraid to kill anything. Human, animal, they don't care. If you're calling us savages, then you've got us confused with them. I honestly think that soon we'll be on the brink of war if something doesn't happen soon."

Hailey handed Zane the rifle. He took it and almost dropped it, surprised by its weight.

"Didn't think it was heavy, huh?" Hailey asked.

Zane shook his head and handed it back to Hailey. Carefully, she placed it back in its case and closed the snaps.

"What are doing?" Zane asked as she picked up the case but started walking back to the door with it instead of putting it back.

"I'm putting this someplace where he doesn't see it." She said. "Trust me, once Uncle Sam's reminded of his time in the Mountain Guard, it's takes a few days for him to calm back down."

She handed the case to Zane.

"Can you go upstairs and slide this under my bed? I'll go check on him to make sure he's alright."

Zane nodded and they both went back inside together. Walking inside the house, they didn't immediately see Samuel, so Zane went upstairs to go put the case under her bed. Hailey went off to find Samuel.

Zane reached the top of the stairs and went into Hailey's room. He went over to her bed and gently slipped the case under it. He got back up and went to go back out.

But then something in the corner of his eye moved. It was at the desk.

Zane looked over to the desk and saw something he hadn't noticed before.

It was a small, cubic container. It was sitting on a little plastic sort of stand and had a plastic border cover at the top. At the bottom, there was an orange silk plant and blue and green semi-marbles. The entire thing was filled with water.

And in that tank was a betta fish.

Zane went to the desk and peered into the tank to get a closer look.

The fish was two inches in length, not including the fins. The fish was jet black with streaks of purple and grey. The fish had deep amber eyes. It flared at him before darting behind its plant.

"Maybe it's scared by my nindroid appearance…" He said.

Suddenly he heard a scrabbling noise from above him. He looked up to see Beibeis walking along the rafters.

 _Coo_.

He got up and walked out the door to find Hailey. She wasn't upstairs, which probably meant that Samuel wasn't, either.

Zane quietly went downstairs. Nobody was in the kitchen or living room.

He looked down the hall and saw Hailey standing outside the doorway to Samuel's bedroom. He quietly walked over and taped Hailey on the shoulder. She jumped slightly. She knew what Zane was about to say and nodded. He peered inside.

In the dimly lit room, he saw Samuel's dark form partially lit by the light of the rising moon in the far left corner, leaning against the wall on his elbow, his face covered by his hand, facing away from them. He was very quiet except for his deep breathing, obviously trying to calm down and regain his composure. He didn't say a word or even give sign that he had noticed they were there.

"He needs some space." She whispered to Zane. He nodded. Hailey cast a worried look at her uncle before going upstairs to get ready for bed.

Zane retreated to his room, closing the door behind him. He slipped into his pajamas and made himself comfortable under his covers. But instead of going back to sleep, he lay awake, listening to Samuel's heavy breathing. Eventually Zane heard the sound of Hailey coming back down the stairs and tiptoeing down the hall. Zane sensed her presence right outside his doorway.

Samuel's deep breath ceased, which probably meant he calmed down a bit. Zane heard footsteps.

"Hailey." Samuel's voice said. It seemed a lot more like himself but there was still a tone of shakiness to it. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Awhile." She replied. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

Samuel sighed. "I'm fine. Just a bad memory, that's all. I should've warned Zane about it. He didn't know though. It's not like I'm upset with him or anything."

Zane heard this and felt a sense of relief he hadn't even known he had been holding back.

"Do you need anything?" Hailey asked.

"No." Samuel said. A few seconds of silence followed. "It's pretty late, Hailey. You should get to bed."

There was some more silence before the sound of Hailey going back upstairs and Samuel going to bed was heard. Juneau slipped through Zane's door and hopped up onto the bed, falling asleep immediately. Even though Samuel wasn't mad at Zane, he still felt bad that he reminded him about whatever traumatic event happened to him long ago. Zane wanted to make it up to him somehow.

'Tasks that I excel at…' He thought. 'How can I use those?'

He thought. Fighting? No. The people here were peacful, or all he had met so far. Intelligence? Maybe helping Hailey with homework to give Samuel a break? That was a possibility. But Hailey never asked for help, and even she might in the future, he wanted to make it up to him as soon as possible. His sixth sense? Probably not. He didn't know exactly how it would come in handy. Then what?

And it was at that moment it hit him. Of course! How could he have forgotten? It was something he was revered and worshipped for!

Satisfied, Zane set a setting within his mainframe that would make him wake up at exactly 7:30 am. He wanted it to be ready once Hailey and Samuel both woke up. He let the settling silence and darkness of the night in the house make him fall asleep.

(about 8 hours later)

The alarm clock Zane had set within his internal one went off, rousing him from his sleep. He threw the covers off of him and and check the clock beside the bed. 7:30 am, sharp. The sun had not yet risen and it was still dark outside.

Zane quickly changed before quietly slipping out of his doorway. He cast quick glance into Samuel's room. The door was open and he saw him peacefully asleep and snoring. Silence from upstairs told him that Hailey was also sleeping still.

' _Good_.' Zane thought. ' _That gives me time_.'

Zane quietly tiptoed into the kitchen. Juneau followed him in.

"Shhhh." He told him. He flicked on the light and turned it down low.

Juneau yawned and lay down on the floor, head on his paws. He watched Zane as he opened the refrigerator. Zane was somewhat uncomfortable in doing this because he didn't think Samuel and Hailey would exactly be pleased to wake up and see him digging through their food.

Zane rummaged around in the fridge until he found what he was looking for: a package of bacon and a carton of eggs. Zane took the items out and shut the fridge, placing them on the counter. Then he started looking through the cabinets. He was never told where what was kept where, so he had to search. He finally found what he was looking for and put it on the stove-

Suddenly the sound of scrabbling made Zane freeze. He glanced at Juneau, who was now actually asleep on the floor. Again the scrabbling was heard, followed by a flurry of tiny wingbeats.

When Zane saw Beibeis flutter down the stairs and land on the rail post, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought it was Hailey at first. Especially after the incident when he had accidentally scared her and Samuel thought it was a robbery.

"Oh." He said quietly. "It's just you."

 _Coo_!

"Ssshhh."

Beibeis preened her tail feathers before flying across the room and landed on Zane's shoulder. Zane let the dove stay there. Beibeis seemed to be peering at what he was doing. It reminded him of his falcon. He reached a hand up to pet Beibeis. Again he felt a pang of guilt and wondered how his brothers were faring without him. If only there was any way shape or form he could tell them he was doing well.

Beibeis made a pleasant cooing noise and Zane found her favorite spot to be petted: the soft feathers where her collar marking was. Zane walked over to the sink and started washing his hands.

"I apologize, Beibeis." He said while scrubbing. "But I simply can't have an animal in the workspace while I'm cooking. It's very unsanitary."

Beibeis cooed before flying up to one of the rafters of the ceiling. She eyed him from above.

Zane dried his hands off with a towel and got to work.

 **Zane, I'm so disappointed in you, right now. Smh. *Sigh* You better make this up, buddy.** **GRADUATION IS ONLY FIVE DAYS AWAY I'M SO EXCITED!** **PEACE Y'ALL!**


	26. Chapter 26: Horses,Ponies, Geese, Oh My!

**Hello there! Just here with chap #26! Sorry it took me awhile to update, five days of horse camp, three days of guitar lessons, and two days of working on a cover image for a story really drains your energy. And did I mention a rodeo?** **Anyways, enough about that, responding to Ninja Pony's review, I didn't actually see that until you pointed it out. Good eye, let me know if you see that in the future! Do you love horses and ponies? If so, behold, because this one's got lots of 'em!** **ENJOY THY CHAPTER**

The alarm clock Zane had set within his internal one went off, rousing him from his sleep. He threw the covers off of him and and check the clock beside the bed. 7:30 am, sharp. The sun had not yet risen and it was still dark outside.

Zane quickly changed before quietly slipping out of his doorway. He cast quick glance into Samuel's room. The door was open and he saw him peacefully asleep and snoring. Silence from upstairs told him that Hailey was also sleeping still.

'Good.' Zane thought. 'That gives me time.'

Zane quietly tiptoed into the kitchen. Juneau followed him in.

"Shhhh." He told him. He flicked on the light and turned it down low.

Juneau yawned and lay down on the floor, head on his paws. He watched Zane as he opened the refrigerator. Zane was somewhat uncomfortable in doing this because he didn't think Samuel and Hailey would exactly be pleased to wake up and see him digging through their food.

Zane rummaged around in the fridge until he found what he was looking for: a package of bacon and a carton of eggs. Zane took the items out and shut the fridge, placing them on the counter. Then he started looking through the cabinets. He was never told where what was kept where, so he had to search. He finally found what he was looking for and put it on the stove-

Suddenly the sound of scrabbling made Zane freeze. He glanced at Juneau, who was now actually asleep on the floor. Again the scrabbling was heard, followed by a flurry of tiny wingbeats.

When Zane saw Beibeis flutter down the stairs and land on the rail post, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought it was Hailey at first. Especially after the incident when he had accidentally scared her and Samuel thought it was a robbery.

"Oh." He said quietly. "It's just you."

Coo!

"Ssshhh."

Beibeis preened her tail feathers before flying across the room and landed on Zane's shoulder. Zane let the dove stay there. Beibeis seemed to be peering at what he was doing. It reminded him of his falcon. He reached a hand up to pet Beibeis. Again he felt a wave of guilt and wondered how his brothers were faring without him. If only there was any way shape or form he could tell them he was doing well.

Beibeis made a pleasant cooing noise and Zane found her favorite spot to be petted: the soft feathers where her collar marking was. Zane walked over to the sink and started washing his hands.

"I apologize, Beibeis." He said while scrubbing. "But I simply can't have an animal in the workspace while I'm cooking. It's very unsanitary."

Beibeis cooed before flying up to one of the rafters of the ceiling. She eyed him from above.

Zane dried his hands off with a towel and got to work.

(Time skip)

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Alright." Hailey yawned. She turned over on her bed and slammed a fist on the snooze button. "Up with the sun."

The alarm clock stopped, and Hailey threw the covers back over her head-

"Hailey?" Samuel's groggy voice came from downstairs. "What did I tell you about trying to handle the stove without supervision?"

Zane was transferring some freshly made eggs from the skillet to a clean plate when he heard the sound of Samuel waking up.

"Hailey?" He said. "What did I tell you about trying to handle the stove without supervision?"

Zane jumped, slightly surprised and started to say it was him, but the sound of someone coming downstairs stopped him.

"Whadda you think I am, a Jedi?" Hailey said tiredly. She came down the steps rubbing her eyes. "I don't have the Force, I can't flip bacon and eggs from my bed, I'm not Princess Laya and you're not Darth Vader-"

She stopped suddenly, because it was at that moment the aroma of bacon, eggs, biscuits, and pancakes hit her nostrils all at once.

"Whoa." Hailey said, snapping out of her drowsiness immediately. She took a whiff. "It smells amazing in here!"

"What do you mean it smells amazing? I can't smell a thi…oh wait a minute!"

Zane heard Samuel throw the covers off of him in a very vigorous manner before he appeared in the hall. Hailey joined him.

"Zane?" She said. She looked at the counter, where what appeared to be breakfast was sitting, fresh and warm. She looked dazzled. "Did you make all this?"

(Time skip)

"Holy blazes!" Hailey said. "Uncle Sam, quit bolting! This is meant to be savored, not inhaled!"

Zane looked up from his plate and saw Samuel wolfing down his scrambled eggs and bacon like there was no tomorrow.

When he gave no sign that he had heard Hailey, she reached over the table and pulled the plate away.

Samuel made a muffled cry of surprise.

"Hey!" He cried. He tried to grab it back but Hailey didn't give it to him and held up a finger.

"Hay is for horses," Hailey began. "And you've been eating so fast I'm thoroughly amazed you haven't choked yet!"

"Okay I'll eat slower. It's just so good." Samuel mumbled. He tried reaching for the plate again. "Now gimme!"

"Ah-ah-ah." Hailey tsked. "Like you always tell me, don't talk with your mouth full, eat slowly, and actually chew. Look at you. Practice what you preach!"

Samuel rolled his eyes. Hailey gave his plate back once he finished chewing. She went back to her bacon, which she seemed to be savoring every bite.

"I gotta admit, Zane." She said. "This is so freaking good. Where did you learn how to cook? Seriously!"

Zane shrugged. "I am a nindroid." He replied. "It is programmed into my mainframe."

"I'll shay."

Hailey looked across the table, saw Samuel again eating quickly, and pulled his plate away for the second time.

"Seriously! Relax with the food!" She scolded.

"HMMPH!" Complained Samuel through a mouthful of pancake.

After negotiating, Hailey gave his plate back before getting up and putting her own in the sink. Zane's breakfast was the best one she ever had and probably will for the rest of her life, but she didn't eat much because she wasn't hungry. Which she regretted. But it was something she simply couldn't help.

"Thanks for the breakfast, Zane." Hailey said. She walked to the front door.

"You are welcome." He replied. "Where are you going?"

"I need to take care of Ranger." Hailey said, slipping on her boots. She glanced over her shoulder at Zane. "Want to come along?"

Zane nodded. He hadn't seen much of Hailey's horse since when she found him. Putting his plate in the sink, he followed Hailey out the door, leaving Samuel to literally vacuum up the remainders of his breakfast.

Hailey was waiting for Zane, standing on the porch. Juneau followed them out the door and sniffed Hailey's pants for any crumbs. She patted his head.

(Time skip!)

(Five minutes later)

"So what's your normal routine in caring for Ranger?"

"Well," Hailey said, tying Ranger to the post with the quick release knot. "Let's see here. Feeding, brushing, picking out his hooves, mucking out the stalls, gotta keep the beast happy one way or another, make sure he's exercised every day, basically too many to name. Ain't nothing I can't handle."

Zane looked down at a saddle, a blanket with a cutout, and a mess of leather strips and metal pieces. There was also a green box with 'RANGER' written in permanent marker on the side. In there were various brushes and a hooked piece of thick metal, a small brush on the back of it, the handle made of blue and black rubber.

"What is that for?"

"This here is Ranger's brushes I use to groom him." Hailey explained. "Certain ones have certain jobs. This, for example…." She paused to pick up a red rubber comb that had circles with teeth. "Is called a curry comb. It's used to dislodge any loose hair, dust, and dirt. When you use it, you comb in circular motions against the hair, like this, although be gentle on the bony parts of the body…"

Hailey started brushing clockwise all over Ranger's side, starting from Rangers neck and ending at his rump. Zane saw how much dirt and hair came loose. Hailey did the same for Ranger's other side before picking up a wire brush.

"We use this one to get all the dirt that's been loosened by the curry comb. It's called a dandy brush. You have to use short flicking motions."

Hailey did Ranger's left.

"Can I try?" Zane asked.

Hailey stopped to look at him.

"Are you sure, Zane? Ranger's gotta bad habit of thwacking people in the face with his tail, and I reckon he's not familiar with you…"

"Erm...now that you reason, I see this as a bad time-"

"Nonono. You can of you want. Here." Hailey passed him the brush. "Can you finish Ranger's right side while I go find the reins?"

Zane nodded.

"Thanks." Hailey said before walking to a shed at the back of the house where the tack was kept.

Zane watched Hailey go. She vanished behind the house.

Zane turned back around-

"Ouch!"

Zane rubbed the spot on his cheek where he bumped into something velvety. He heard a subdued snort and looked up. Ranger was staring at him quizzically, one ear back, wiggling his nose.

Ranger snorted again.

"I apologize. Did I bump your nose?" Zane asked, though he doubted the black horse would understand.

Ranger flicked his tail.

Zane shrugged and went back to brushing Ranger, just like Hailey said.

Hailey came back with the reins, which looked like two strips of leather tied together into a knot at one of the ends and little metal clamps at the other. She was twirling it between her fingers while whistling a tune which Zane couldn't name (Folsom Prison Blues).

"Finished with that?" She asked. Zane nodded. He handed back the brush. Hailey set the reins down with the rest of the tack, took the brush and pulled out a softer one. She brushed Ranger down again, before taking a hairbrush and combed out his mane and tail. Then she cleaned his hooves.

"Here. Can you do me a favor and put that back for me?" Hailey asked, pointing to the box.

Zane nodded and picked up the box. As he was walking away, he watched Hailey take the thick blanket and place it on Ranger's back.

Zane walked to the shed, next to the fenced off backyard. He opened the door and felt along for the light switch. He found it and the light bulb flickered on.

It was a spacious shed. On the walls were pages where all sorts of what seemed to be bridles, a few lead ropes and halters, and a black helmet and sets of three strips of leather attached to a metal ring hung. One of each seemed to be missing, except the helmet, because Hailey had them. Sitting on the floor near the wall was a red box, similar to Ranger's but it was labeled 'GUNSMOKE' instead. At the far side of the wall were two pegs with ropes hanging on them beneath a cabinet, not too far away from a trash bin and a stack of huge bags.

There were two saddle stands, one had a dark brown saddle on top of a forest green blanket on it with saddlebags, the other was empty. There was also a few boxes, the top one open. Zane put the grooming box away and peered inside. There were what seemed like Velcro casts that went on a horse's legs, five sets of four, in different colors.

Zane got up.

"OW!" He cried as he hit his head on a corner. Looking up and rubbing his forehead, he saw the cabinet. Curious, he opened it up.

In there were what seemed like medication. He read some of the labels. Rhinopneumonitis (A\N: I'm sorry for making you read that but the other name for it sounded totally wrong) deworming, and influenza were to just name a few. There was also a bottle. Based on that label, he assumed that it was something to help a ailment called thrush. Another was for heel cracks. Zane also saw a couple bottles of fly spray and a little tube that looked like Chapstick but it was also labeled as flyspray.

Zane shut the cabinet before flicking off the light and shutting the door.

Walking back, he saw Ranger in his gear, Hailey in front of him, clipping on the reins.

She heard him coming.

"Wondering what took you so long." She said once he was in earshot.

"I was just looking in the shed." He replied. "All these things are new sights and experiences for me."

"I'll bet." She finished attaching the reins before glancing over her shoulder. "You have a ways to go."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Let me ask you this Zane: Before Ranger, have you ever seen a horse before?"

"No." Zane admitted.

Hailey sighed.

"You gotta lot to learn if you gonna blend in with us."

Zane tilted his head.

"But what do such animals like horses have to associate with your day-to-day life, much more for the purpose of me blending in?"

Again, Hailey sighed.

"Here. I'll tell you a little somethin'. Horses are the heart and soul of this here land. They were a gift given to us by our superiors to use and to help us. They helped us plant food, clear land, fight in wars, explore places, but even more, be a friend to someone who needs it most. Our history revolves around these animals, and without them," Hailey paused a moment to pat Ranger on the neck. "We just simply wouldn't survive."

Zane nodded slowly in understanding. These horses had more meaning to these people than he had ever thought before.

"I see." He said.

"So there." Hailey concluded. "That's why horses are something special. We owe 'em." She scratched Ranger's chin.

"I have to get my hat before I head out." She said.

"Where are you heading?" Zane asked as Hailey walked back to the house.

"Taking Ranger out for a ride. Drop by the grocery store if Uncle Sam needs anything." She called over her shoulder. "Keep an eye on Ranger for me!"

Before Zane could say anything else, Hailey had disappeared into the house.

"Uh-" Zane stammered.

Ranger snorted and again had one ear back, neck craned, eyeing him.

Zane looked at Ranger. Then he shrugged.

Hailey emerged from the house a couple minutes later, wearing a cream white wide brimmed hat (a cowboy hat), her holster with her pistol in it and a belt.

"I've never seen that style of hat before." Zane said as Hailey came back.

"Of course not. Listen. Uncle Sam doesn't have any rounds for me but I got a call from the Vandleburgs asking if I would take care of their horse while they they're off on vacation."

Hailey untied the lead rope and tied it again around the saddle horn before grabbing it and the back of the seat and swinging her leg over.

"Stand back." She warned. Zane shuffled a few yards back as Hailey tugged at the reins to back Ranger up and turned him around. Hailey towered over Zane on top of Ranger.

"You can tag along if you want." She said. She urged Ranger forward. "Just put on the face paint first. It's in the saddlebag."

Zane rummaged around, found what he was looking for, spread the paint on his face and put it back when he was done.

"Where are we going?" Zane asked, walking besides Hailey and Ranger.

"To expand your horizon." She replied simply. "I would give you a lift on Ranger, but I doubt he ought to handle the weight."

"It's alright." Zane said. "I can walk."

Hailey shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Then Hailey tapped Ranger with her heels, and he exploded into a full on gallop, leaving Zane in a cloud of dust.

Zane coughed and flailed his arms around, trying to clear the dust out of his eyes.

"HEY!" He called.

Hailey's whoops of joy could be heard far down the road that led into the town. Ranger whinned at the feeling of running like the wind.

Zane ran after them.

"WAIT FOR ME!" He hollered, but it was no use.

(Time skip, 10 minutes later…)

It was about ten minutes later when Zane finally caught up with Hailey and Ranger at the intersection which led into town. As he topped the crest of the hill, he could clearly see Hailey laughing, Ranger prancing about giddily.

"Haha!" Hailey whooped as Zane jogged down. "Ranger burnt the wind! No offense, Zane, but you're slower than molasses compared to him!"

"None taken." Zane said. He stopped beside them.

Zane followed Hailey and Ranger as they trotted to the main residence area, turned northward, only passing a few big cabins and a huge wooden building (which was the rink for the kids hockey teams) before again hooking east, following a road that was well worn. They followed a driveway and clearing came into view. Hailey, Ranger, and Zane all came into it.

Upon first sight, the was a barn. It was painted a cream yellow with a double slanted tin roof and the floor was paved with pavers. It open end to end and in some of the stalls horses were sticking their heads or noses out. Above the entrance was the Mt. Horn flag.

A few yards away was the crossties, where some horses were tied, and people either bathing, brushing, or saddling them. There was a small pen where a bay horse was running around, tossing its head and occasionally bucking. Behind the barn was a large, roofed pen with high fences and sand for the floor. Back on the opposite side of the barn was a large shed with no front wall, giving the full view of all the hay bales and broken up straw stored in there, with an ATV hitched to a small trailer was parked, being filled with hay by a man throwing several bales into it. Next to that was a grain silo, where a larger trailer was. Through a row of redwoods several large horse trailers were parked.

Past more pines behind the barn, Zane could see another barn and some sand covered pens. Down the hill behind that were some pipe and covered pipe pens. Nearby was a house. The whole place was distributed among clumps of evergreens. The neighing and whinnies of horses, clinking of crosstie buckles, clopping hooves, a passing ATV carrying hay, a leaf blower, and various conversation filled the air.

Ranger pranced up to the front of the barn before Hailey slid off.

"Dandy place, huh?" She asked Zane. He nodded.

"Follow me." Hailey said. She took Ranger by the bit and led him to one of the empty crossties, shaded by a massive redwood tree. There she clipped The ropes to his bit.

Then the two walked into the barn. Stalls lined either end, some horses poking their heads out to watch them go by.

"Hey John." Hailey said.

A bearded man who was carrying hay from the ATV trailer and a reddish brown block that stained his head looked up. He was wearing work boots, dusty camo pants, a plain grey shirt that was soaked with sweat, a backwards Raiders cap, and a red bandana.

"Hey there, Hailey. Haven't seen you around for awhile." He replied. Then he noticed Zane. "Say, who's your friend there?"

"This is Zane." Hailey said. "A friend of mine. I brought him down here today. He used to live in the Silverton area, but he moved down here. Never had much contact with horses until now."

Hailey turned around and winked.

"Huh." John huffed. He dusted off his hands, took off his hat, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his bandana. He held a hand out to Zane. "The name's John. If you need directions or anything of that sort, just ask."

"Nice to meet you." Zane said, accepting John's hand.

"How's Ranger?" He steered the conversation to Hailey. "I heard he got a sprained hock a few months ago, but I never got a chance to talk with you about it."

While Hailey and John got lost in their chat, Zane took the opportunity to take in more of the barn.

At the side of each stall that was used for horses, there was a sheet of paper encased in plastic. Zane went over to the nearest one, occupied by a red and white splotched horse with a black mane and tail. The name on the whiteboard sheet written in red expo marker read 'NAVAJO'. Below it were "Hay, Pellets, Supplements" on top of each other with "Morning, Lunch, Night" across the top, like a multiplication table divided into squares. In the squares were written the numbers "2" under "Morning" and "1" under "Night". Below it was a space for notes where the words "NO JUMPING" were written.

Posted on the walls were various charts and lists, such as horses listed for farrier service, veterinarian care, horses used for a list under 'Camp' (Zane wondered what that meant. A day camp, maybe?) feeding and supplement lists, medications, sign-ups, a board for things people were selling, and training schedules.

 _HONK_!

"Ah!" Zane jumped. He looked at the front entrance of the barn.

There, walking through the doorway, was a goose!

 _HONK_! It said. _HONK_!

Zane could only stare at the goose as it walked closer. Was it supposed to be there?

Zane looked over his shoulder to see of either Hailey or John took notice, but they were still talking like nothing happened.

"Uh-" Zane began. He tugged on Hailey's sleeve.

"What?" She asked, turning around.

Zane pointed to the goose. "Do you have an explanation for that?"

Hailey cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Yes. That African Goose there is the pet of Sophia, one of the people who lives on the property. His name is Rex."

 _HONK_! Rex cried. Then he spread his wings, ran over and hissed at Zane!

Zane scuttled back. Hailey laughed.

"You're scared of a goose?" John asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Rex!" A voice from outside the barn called. "Rex! Where'd you go?"

 _HONK_! Rex called before flying out of the barn, spooking a couple horses as he went by.

"The name sure is fitting for that waterfowl." Zane said, catching his breath after the scare.

"That's for sure." Hailey agreed.

"Hm-mm. That goose don't like nobody except for Sophia!"

"Avian animals tend to enjoy my company."

"All except for one."

"So what brought you down today?" John asked. "Your normal barrel racing training doesn't start until next month. And you've been away for a long time."

"The Vandleburgs need someone to take care of Frodo while they're on vacation. They called me up half an hour ago."

"And you brought him for?"

"Expand his horizons. Horse 101. Like I said, he comes from Silverton, so he doesn't know much. But he wants to learn, so why not?" Hailey shrugged.

"Well then. But he has to wear a helmet if he's never been around a horse." John pointed to one of the three revised stalls where there was a fridge, a soda machine with an 'OUT OF ORDER" sign taped to it, and hooks, where helmets hung. These were either black or mostly dark colored, and had a slight visor.

"Come on." Hailey said. She gestured Zane to follow. "Bye John. See you around."

John waved before hopping on the ATV and driving away.

Zane and Hailey found a fitting helmet before heading down to the lower barn. Zane watched a couple people jumping in the arena as they walked by.

"Ugh, there's Magic." Hailey said, her eyes fixed on a big black horse trotting around the ring while being ridden by an older man. "Looking beautiful as always."

Zane and Hailey followed the path that lead down below.

"It's quieter down here." Hailey said. "Some horses become stressed when they're subjected to loud noises, so people pay more money to keep them here."

Zane nodded and looked around. Here, it was basically silent and free of the normal ruckus of the upper barn. The only thing heard were the trees, birds, and the nickers of the horses in the stall and the pasture next to it. A couple horses were sticking their noses out to see the newcomers.

Hailey peered into a stall, which was unoccupied.

"Uh oh." She said. "That ain't good."

"What isn't good?"

"Little Trouble must've got out again." Hailey answered. She shook her head. "She does it all the time. That Shetland's the best escape artist I've ever seen."

Zane was about to ask what a Shetland was until he felt a slight bump on his leg. He looked down-

"Hailey?" Zane said.

"Yes?" She replied, still looking in the stall. "I don't know how she got out this time…"

"Is Little Trouble, say, almost a miniature horse?"

"Why yes." Hailey said. "They're ponies. Basically miniature hor-"

Hailey turned around and she gawked.

"What the-?!"

A dark brown pony with a shaggy brown mane and tail with white stubby legs and a white stripe blazing down its face was rubbing its head on Zane's leg!

"Aaaaaww." Hailey said, her heart melting. A big goofy grin passed over her face, replacing her gape. "She likes you!"

Zane was shocked. This was something he was NOT expecting.

"This is too _cute_! I wish I had my phone."

"Why is it that you have the occasional mood swing?" Zane asked, the pony still rubbing, but now on its flank.

"I'm sorry, but my inner little kid comes out when I see a pony. It's so cuuuute!"

Zane looked down at the pony. He had to admit, it was rather adorable. He bent down onto one knee.

"May I pet the miniature horse?" Zane asked. "With what you stated with Ranger, this animal is not familiar with me."

"No, go ahead." Hailey said. She came over and scratched Little Trouble on the neck. "She's really sweet and begs for attention. Not to mention that she's adorable!"

Zane petted the other side of Little Trouble's neck, underneath her her thick mane.

"Alright." Hailey said. She took a halter from the empty crossties. "I think you've had enough petting for one day."

Little Trouble snorted, almost in disagreement. No! She seemed to say.

Hailey slipped the halter over Little Trouble's head and held one loop before leading the Shetland pony into her stall.

"Now that that's done," Hailey paused to shut the door and brush off her hands. "Back to business."

Zane followed Hailey to the far end of the barn.

"Can you get Frodo's halter and a lead rope for me?" She asked.

"Sure. How do I identify a halter as Frodo's?"

"There's a little brass plate on the strap with a name engraved into it. Just look for the one with his name on it."

Zane nodded and came back with the halter and lead rope. The halter was huge, much bigger compared to Little Trouble's.

"Thanks." Hailey said. "Stand back. Frodo's a little skittish around new people."

Zane stepped back a few steps.

"Here?" He asked.

"A little more."

Zane shuffled back further. "Here?"

Hailey shook her head. "A little more."

Zane looked behind him to make sure he wasn't about to trip or fall over something. He stepped back some more.

"Here?"

"A liiiittle more. Up to that there tree." She pointed to the pine behind him.

Zane stood under the tree as Hailey pushed the door open a little more for her to wiggle in. She slipped inside the stall, and pushed the door open more. What came out made Zane gasp.

A massive bay horse standing at least seven feet came out of the stall. It was broad shouldered, barrel chested, and massive quarters. It's muscles rippled and quivered under the gleaming brown coat as it moved. The neck of the horse was thick and arched, which ran smoothly and joined flawlessly with its beautiful head, which carried neat ears, a white blaze down its face, and huge, alert eyes. The massive black legs covered in white silky hair that covered its hooves came thudding down each step.

"Wow." Zane whispered in awe.

Hailey saw Zane's face and grinned.

"Yup." She said. She patted the horse's shoulder. "Frodo's a big boy."

"Big would be an understatement." Zane replied. "This animal-Frodo, as you call him, must be at the very least five feet tall."

"He's 17.7 hands, to be exact." Hailey says.

"And how can you handle that big of a horse? One of that size must surely be difficult to control!" He added the last sentence a little loudly.

"Ssh. Not so loud." Hailey warned. "Frodo's a little spooky (skittish), remember?"

"Sorry." Zane apologized quietly. "But how do you manage a horse that size?"

"Frodo has a really good disposition, it's in their nature." Hailey answered. She led Frodo to the crossties and clipped the ropes to the halter.

"Alright." Zane said. "Does this horse have a particular use? He is considerably larger than Ranger or Gunsmoke, and you use them for transportation. Frodo is too big to fit a saddle on, by my calculations."

"We use Gunsmoke and Ranger when we go on some of our hunting trips." Hailey replied. "Gunsmoke is Uncle Sam's mount in the Mountain Guard, but he's been honorably discharged now. But every year or so he goes for a three-week service, and every summer he helps training the new recruits when they come. And I use Ranger in competitions. But yes, Frodo's a draft horse."

"A draft horse?"

"Yup. A draft horse is a horse that pulls big carts and carriages and does heavy farm work." Hailey explained "The Vandleburgs put Frodo in weight pulling competitions at farm shows. Shires are considered to be the biggest draft of them all. Below them are Clydesdales, Percherons, Belgian Drafts, Nivernaise and Suffolk Punch horses."

"And exactly how many breeds of horses are there of what colors?" Zane asked. He walked over to Hailey and Frodo.

"Listen Zane." Hailey said. She let Frodo nibble her fingers with his lips. "Horses come in all shapes and sizes, different breeds bred for different uses, and as far as the colors go, the possibilities are endless. Chestnut, brown, black, gray, white, sorrel, bay, light bay, dark bay, dun, palomino, appaloosa, red roan, blue roan, buckskin, perlino, cremello, champagne, grullo, pinto, paint, smoky, I can go on and on, not to mention there's various face and leg markings and patterns for a coat. New horse breeds are constantly being developed for new jobs."

It took a moment for Zane's processer to take in everything she just said.

"Watch out behind you." She said. "Here comes Hermit. He ain't exactly the horse you'd want to be around."

Zane looked over and saw a fat, old looking horse being led by a young woman in a vest. The horse was fat in the stomach but bony in the legs, grey around his muzzle, squinty eyes, and a basically overall disgusted look. The horse's coat was black and had a brown-black mane and tail.

Hermit saw Frodo, raised his head, pinned his ears back, and bared his teeth.

"Quit!" His handler said, yanking on the lead to bring his head back down. "Sorry about that." She said to Hailey and Zane. "He's not the happiest horse in the barn."

"It's alright." Hailey said.

The girl kept Hermit two crossties away, but he still evil-eyed Frodo from a distance before walking away.

"That seems to be a rather ornery horse." Zane said. As if answering, Hermit stomped on the ground and seemed to shoot Zane a look.

"A hoss is the correct term for a horse like Hermit."

"Define hoss."

"A hoss is a word we use to describe a bad-tempered or wild horse. Stating again, not the nicest to be around."

Zane eyed Hermit cautiously, who in turn pawed a hoof and let a breath from his nose and bared his teeth.

Zane scuttle back a few steps.

"I know." Hailey said. "He don't like no one."

She tapped Zane on the shoulder. He turned around.

"What is it?"

"Can you watch Frodo for me? I have to get his grooming box."

Zane nodded. Hailey walked away to leave him alone with Frodo.

Frodo held his head particularly high, so Zane had to look up to see the horse's face.

"Hello there, Frodo." Zane said. He held up a hand. Frodo bent down and smelled it. Then he lightly nosed his hand. Zane took this as a sign of acceptance and stroked his nose. "May I say how incredible you look today."

Frodo nickered before bending down to scratch his face on his leg.

"Let me get that for you." Zane said, and scratched what he thought where the itchy spot was. Frodo nickered in appreciation.

"You are quite a massive horse." Zane said. Frodo nickered, almost in agreement.

Frodo stuck his nose out, and at first Zane thought he could bite, but instead the Shire nudged as his chest.

Zane chuckled and rubbed the white blaze on his face.

"Aren't you a friendly one?"

Frodo again nuzzled Zane.

Yes. Zane thought. He is quite the personality.

Frodo turned his head to the side to get a full view of Zane. Strangely enough, the nindroid found himself staring deep into the horse's eye.

It was a deep, chocolate brown and about an inch and a half, by far the largest Zane had seen. There was a spark in it, a spark of liveliness and spirit.

He also noticed his own reflection in the eye. Then he wondered: what did the horse see? How did it see him? Do horses judge? Can they judge? How did this horse view him as-

Suddenly there was an explosive snort from Frodo's nose, which sent horse snot and slobber flying everywhere and all over Zane!

"Gah!" Zane yipped as mucus sprayed onto his just-cleaned collared shirt that Samuel had given him.

That thought coming to mind, Zane looked down and was dismayed to see it spattered with green.

"Samuel will not be at all ecstatic about this…" He muttered. He shook his head and looked at Frodo.

One ear back, the other forward, Frodo seemed absolutely calm and unashamed.

"Do you have a sinus problem?" He asked the horse. He petted Frodo's velvety nose. "You have your nasal phlegm painted on my shirt." He gestured to it.

Frodo seemed to crane his head, see the damage and fold both ears back with a regrettable expression. He snorted softly. "Oops." He seemed to say.

Zane saw this and laughed.

"It's alright." He said, scratching Frodo's chin. "Accidents happen."

Suddenly and angry snort made the both of them look up.

Hermit was again baring his teeth and stomping his hoof, glaring death and Zane and Frodo.

A glimpse of red caught Zane's eye. Hermit swished his tail, turned around and glared at a red ribbon in his tail and tried to pull it out, with no avail.

Zane stopped petting Frodo, thinking and watching as Hermit went between glaring at Zane and angrily trying to yank the ribbon out, which was clearly bothering him.

The red ribbon in his tail appears to be agitating Hermit. He thought.

Hermit again tried to pull the ribbon out, but it slipped from his teeth, making him pin his ears, stomp a hoof, throw his head into the air, and neigh in frustration.

Maybe taking the ribbon out would give him a better day…

Zane stepped away from Frodo, walking around and to the crossties' backside.

Frodo made a worried snort as Zane walked behind him. The nindroid took no heed. He came behind the cranky old horse, who was still throwing a fit. Zane grabbed Hermit's swishing tail.

"Let me get this out for you…" Zane said.

Hermit froze at the feeling of his tail being grabbed. He lowered his head, bared his teeth and turned around to see Zane behind him. He tried to swish his tail.

"Hold still," Zane said, keeping a firm grip on it. "Allow me to get this knot."

Hermit pinned his ears and snorted, pawing. He hated it when people handled his tail. It was time to teach this person a lesson.

Hermit cocked his back leg.

It was at this moment Hailey returned with the grooming box.

"So after this," she started to say, yet to notice Zane was with Hermit. "We put Frodo-"

Hailey stopped, confused, when she saw Frodo alone.

Hailey looked around, gasped, and dropped the grooming box, her eyes tripling in size. Panic seized her throat.

"ZANE NO-" She started.

But it was too late, because at that exact moment Hermit brought up both back hooves and kicked an unsuspecting Zane full-force in the upper stomach.

 _CLANG_!

That was the sound of iron-shod hooves striking a titanium exoskeleton with about two thousand pounds per square inch behind it.

Hailey watched as Zane flew five clear feet back before crashing into the dirt.

"Oh my god!" Hailey said before running to see if Zane was alright. "Zane!"

She ran up to Zane, slapped Hermit on the butt (hey, he deserved it), and dragged Zane out of the way of the horse's hooves.

"Zane, are you okay?!" Hailey cried, setting him down.

Thankfully, Zane was fully conscious but he was clutching his chest area and his face was contorted with pain.

"Yes…" Zane gasped. "Hermit just kicked me."

"I saw that." Hailey said quickly. She started making a mental checklist. This had happened to both her and Samuel before. "Is there anything broken?"

"I don't know…" Zane said. "Let me run a system check…"

Zane was quiet for a few moments before he came up with the results.

"A couple of my wires are knocked out of place," Zane paused to heave a deep breath. "But everything else appears fully functional."

"Are those wires vital?" Hailey asked, worried. Spending more time with him, Hailey that wires to Zane is what veins and arteries are to humans and various systems were internal organs. And one of those were damaged, bad thing were bound to happen.

Zane shook his head.

"No…" He said through gritted teeth. "They just go to my funny and battering ram switches in my arm…my self-repair system will fix that by tomorrow afternoon, by my calculations…"

Hailey breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good." She said. "Where did Hermit kick you?"

"Chest area.." Zane replied.

Hailey was about to take his shirt off to see how bad it was (A/N: I'm sorry if this is starting to sound a little wrong, it's not intending to be) but then remembered that even though his face was covered, his chest wouldn't.

"Crap. Never mind that." Hailey said. "Zane, I need you to cooperate with me on this one."

"What?"

I can't see how bad it is, so I'll have to feel around. I'm warnin' you right now, it's gonna hurt like the devil. But I need to do it."

Zane nodded. "Do it."

Zane felt Hailey press near his neck.

"Is it here?" She asked.

"No." Zane croaked.

Hailey went farther down to his right side of his middle chest.

"Here?"

Zane shook his head.

"Here?"

"Too high…"

Hailey went lower.

"Right here?"

"A little to the left…"

"Right here, right?"

Hailey pressed on the sweet spot of where Zane was kicked, a half inch crack in his exoskeleton where Hermit's horseshoe had dug into it.

Zane gasped in pain and tried to squirm away, but Hailey kept him in place with a surprisingly iron grip.

"Hold still." Hailey said. "Lemme get an idea on the damage…"

Hailey felt around the kick "wound", feeling the bumps and dents, all the while Zane trying to bear with it. The slightest touch of a finger sent a stabbing pain through his whole body, so with Hailey prodding it, it wasn't the best feeling in the world.

"Oh dam. Zane, don't panic, but I think you're bleeding…"

Zane nodded curtly.

"I know.." He said.

"I can only feel a couple wet spots, so it's not gushing." Hailey said. "Here. Put this on your bleeding areas." She took off her bandana and handed it to Zane, who took it with a shaky hand. "You think you can walk?"

Zane stood up with Hailey's help. He was okay enough to walk. She sat him down in the shade of the pine he was standing under not long ago.

As it turns out, Hailey wasn't the only one to hear the ringing noise of Hermit striking out.

(At the arena)

Richard was riding Magic, his Friesan, preparing him for a hunter show later that week.

"Excellent." He said when Magic changed from a trot to a canter without missing a beat. "Moves like a charm."

Richard patted Magic's neck and brought him to a walk. They were about to do a flying lead change-

 _CLANG_!

Magic sprang ten feet into the air and would've bolted, had it not been for Richard's quick thinking to jump off and calm him down. Magic fought against his hold but Richard kept a firm hand.

"Ho, Magic!" Richard said to the spooked horse. "Easy now!"

Magic stopped fighting and came back down to earth, but he was still quivering with fear. Richard patted his neck.

"Good boy." He said. "That's my good Magic."

What was that sound? Richard thought as he petted Magic's nose.

(At the top crossties)

 _CLANG_!

A farrier trimming Scarlet's hooves jumped and looked at the van.

"Gilan!" The farrier said. His friend stuck his head out. "Was that you?"

"No." Gilan replied. "Did you hear that?"

(Down in the field below)

 _CLANG_!

"Sugar honey ice tea!" John cursed as he dropped a bucket full of water, drenching his pants. "Butterfingers!"

As John picked the bucket and throwing it in the trailer hitched to the ATV, he could've sworn he heard Dakota, the big bay horse in the pen, sniggering.

(At the driveway)

 _CLANG_!

"Cloudy!" Cassidy scolded. "Quit that!"

The flea-bitten pony being loaded into a trailer looked at her quizzically.

'But I didn't kick this time!' Cloudy mentally complained. He voiced his sass with a loud snort.

(Time skip, half hour later)

"Owowowowowow." Zane said as he was helped onto the couch by Samuel. "Ow!"

"Sorry." Samuel apologized.

"It's not your fault," Zane replied. He tried to shift his position. "It just-ow-just hurts a little."

"Well, here, just lay down and relax for a little bit. Then we'll see from there." Samuel said, handing him a bag of ice which Hailey had just handed to him. "Put this on your chest. It'll help."

Zane took the ice and set on his abdomen, who winced as the slight sting of the cold biting the dent and crack.

After he got kicked, Zane sat under the tree until Hailey went to the barn office and called for Samuel to pick them up. He rode in the truck bed and Hailey rode beside them back to the house, where they helped him inside, cleaned and dressed his crack, and settled him onto the couch.

"Are you alright?" Samuel asked. Zane nodded.

"Yes." He said. "I am okay. I will be completely repaired by tomorrow. No more walking behind horses for me."

Samuel nodded. "Good." He then turned to Hailey.

"Follow me. You need a talking-to, young lady." He said, voice turning stern and hard as rock.

Zane heard Hailey gulp before following her uncle upstairs.

There was the click of a door shutting. The sound of voices came down the stairs, but they were mostly indistinguishable, so Zane gave up on trying to hear what they were talking about.

The sound of scrabbling paws alerted Zane of Juneau's arrival, and a few seconds later there was a wet nose sniffing Zane's hand.

"Hello, Juneau." Zane said. He scratched behind his ear.

Juneau wagged his tail and licked Zane's face. Zane chuckled.

Coo!

Beibeis came gliding in, sitting on the foot end of the couch.

Zane held out a hand and Beibeis fluttered onto it. He pet the place where Beibeis liked it most before she flew up onto the rafters.

Eventually Juneau left to sleep on his dog bed, which was under the window in the corner, which left Zane basically alone.

Then he remembered, out of the blue, what she had said about fitting in. 'In order to blend in with us, you have to learn how to be one of us.'

So what did that mean? Of course, he'll have to 'learn' what being a Mt. Horn was all about. But what was it all about? What was the ideology of living here? What were their morales? If he had to learn theirs from here, would that mean he would have to drop the ones from his home? Would he have to change everything about himself?

'Well," Zane thought. 'Let's see. All Hailey is doing now is showing me the possibly most vital part of this land, the horse. So…'

Zane's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of a door opening from upstairs and Hailey and Samuel coming back down. Zane craned his neck and saw that the serious look he would presume to be on Samuel's face based on his tone was gone, but traces of a frown still remained. Hailey seemed a little more solemn than usual and was keeping a little more distance from him than usual, so Zane assumed she got a harsh lecture.

"Feeling any better?" Samuel asked, coming up to the couch. Hailey slipped outside, not uttering a word.

Zane nodded. "The ice is very effective."

"Great." Samuel sighed. He looked out the window, where Hailey was hauling her saddle back to the tack shed. "Scolded her like there was no tomorrow. I'm really sorry that happened, she should've never left you alone like that, especially a horse as big as Frodo or as ornery as Hermit."

"No," Zane said, shaking his head. "It's okay. She told me to stay and watch Frodo, and I should've asked her before I went over to undo the ribbon."

"It's not okay. People die from getting kicked. That horse would've made you bite the ground if it struck you in the right spot. That dent, it could've been a gaping hole, or a whole lot worse."

Zane nodded his understanding. Just then the door opened back up again and Hailey came inside. Beibeis flew over and landed on the rail post.

Hailey slipped her boots off before heading upstairs, stroking Beibeis as she went by. She didn't make any eye contact with either of them.

"But despite all those dangerous factors," Zane started. "There is something I would like to learn."

Hailey paused her ascent up the stairs to listen. Samuel raised an eyebrow.

"And that would be?" He asked.

"I would like to learn how to ride a horse."

Hailey and Samuel looked at each other. They were clearly shocked.

"Zane," Hailey began. "Being a Mt. Horn isn't just about riding horses, I mean, some people who can't afford them have ATVs instead, since they're street legal and all here."

"Are you sure about that?" Samuel asked. "Riding a horse isn't as easy as it seems, you aren't just sitting there. There's so many thing you need to know, changing gaits, lead changes, diagonals, and so much more. There's a lot to it."

"Yup." Hailey said. "The horse don't think for you. You have to tell it where to go."

"I am positive." Zane declared. "If I am to blend in with you, I must learn your ways."

Samuel Hailey both looked at each other again and shrugged.

 **Weeeellll, things just got a little more interesting. Ladies and gents, from this point on, Zane learns how to be like a Mt. Horn, from riding a horse to a grand adventure (No spoilers!), it's where the fun really begins.** **Now for a really important question: What do you want to see for the next chapter? Zane's riding lessons? What about a chapter visiting Morro and his ghastly allies? Or maybe a chapter completey in Samuel's P.O.V? I kinda feel like I've been neglecting him a little as to describing his personality and as a character in general.** **Answer me in a review, and do it quick, because I will NOT start writing until I get a decent amount! And I'm off on a road trip soon so be quick!** **No pressure :)**


	27. Chapter 27: Battle Scarred (Part I)

**Hey y'all! I'm back with chapter 27! It's so long I actually have to upload it into three parts (14,000+ words! At 1:00 AM!) I can't respond to reviews because I probably won't be able to upload it if I do.** **Read on!**

It was around noon when Hailey went outside the next day. She had offered Zane to watch as she ran Ranger on a lunge line. She had explained it to him earlier that it was basically a really long halter used for training an inexperienced horse, calming a high strung one before riding, or another way to exercise when it couldn't be ridden. 'He needs to get used to the concept of it.' She had said.

Zane, being repaired of all damages dealt by Hermit's kick, had come outside and watched as Ranger galloped around in circles, occasionally tossing his head and kicking. It was pleasant sunny day but with a slight chill in the breeze, which came from the ominous clouds shrouding the mountains from afar.

Zane was leaning against the rail of the porch, watching Ranger run around. Samuel had eventually come out to join him.

Now they were both on the rail, watching as Hailey let Ranger have a walking break while saying some words of encouragement to him.

"Hailey has quite a way with Ranger." Zane said.

"Yup." Samuel replied. He took a sip from a cup of cola he was holding while resting his head on the other. "Those two are like peas in a pod." He cleared his throat and turned to Zane. "Y'know they were born on the same day?"

Zane looked at Samuel back, surprised.

"Really?"

Samuel nodded.

"Oh yea. And every morning on her birthday she gets up and makes Ranger a little 'cake' of apples, sugar, and molasses. She says every year it's Ranger's every dream come true. I say it's instant diabetes for humans." He chuckled as he remembered something. "I remember last year, she got up at around one in the morning to put it in the freezer. That also happened to be the time when I was trying to get a new barrel racing saddle from her mother into the garage. Almost got caught red handed."

"Hailey told me about barrel racing and other disciplines." Zane said. "Is barrel racing all she does?"

Samuel shook his head.

"No." He replied. "Ranger's trained also in team roping, goat tying, and some in reining."

"I recall something about John mentioning something about her barrel racing training…" Zane muttered.

"You've met John?"

"Yes. He is quite friendly."

"Does he know about The Secret?"

Zane shook his head. "No. He doesn't. He was wearing gloves when I returned his handshake. Nobody knew when you picked us up either after Hermit assaulted me, either."

Samuel sighed at the mention of the previous day's mishap.

"I'm still upset about what happened yesterday." He said. "Hailey should've never left you around a horse like that." He paused to think. "Or any horse you're not familiar with, for that matter."

"Samuel." Zane began. "There is no reason to be upset at Hailey. It's wasn't her fault. She specifically instructed me to stay where I was and to not go near Hermit. He simply seemed to be bothered by the ribbon and I tried to alleviate the problem." He tenderly touched where Hermit's shoe had dug into his exoskeleton. "Unfortunately, that resulted in me being kicked."

"I know that." Samuel muttered. He sighed. "I think I was a little too harsh yesterday." He rested his face in his hand. "She's such a good kid. She'll be an even better horsewoman when she gets older. I dread scolding her as much as she dread being scolded by me. Believe me, I hated every second of it." He sighed again. "It really kills me to bring down her day…"

"We all learn by making mistakes." Zane said. "I may have been built, but trying to train a sugar loving ten year old boy destined to become the green ninja taught me that it is all a part of the process of maturing."

"I guess that's true." Samuel said. He straightened up a little. "Y'know…"

"What?"

"Sometimes…" Samuel began. "Sometimes I wonder if us adults tend to be so focused on keeping our kids in line we tend to forget their just…well...kids. They don't know or see things the way they do. They make mistakes."

Zane nodded. "Exactly."

After that, there was just awkward silence. Samuel yawned and rested his head against the wooden pole supporting the roof of the porch and seemingly falling asleep.

Zane was about to look away when something on Samuel's face caught his eye.

Covered by a slightly discolored grey streak in his facial hair was a jagged stripe of darker skin about two inches long. It started from the bottom of his jawline below the corner of his lip and ran up to his ear: a scar.

Zane had never noticed it until now. Why, he didn't know. It must've been because the sideburn was covering it, but now that he saw it, it couldn't have been more obvious.

Then Zane saw more. A small blotch above his right eye, another hidden scar given away by the grey hairs underneath his jawline, a graze mark on his neck peeking from the collar of the ever present tan jacket, a nicked ear, and a wide one that was on the underside of the wrist in which Samuel had been resting his head on.

'All those scars…' Zane thought to himself. 'Where did he receive those?'

Zane was very tempted to ask, but was also aware at the fact that Samuel may be self conscious about them, so he decided to hold off on the question until he knew a little more about him. He looked away so Samuel wouldn't notice him staring.

Speaking of which, Zane went back and thought about how well he knew him, and was very surprised to discover that he didn't really know the man at all. All he did know was from what he had seen, that Samuel was a very tough, strict, and harsh person at first glance, but once one began to be more in his company, he lightened up and was actually quite friendly and kind.

But again, Zane didn't know him wholly, and not all people were who they seemed to be or say they were. Samuel had never told Zane that he suffered from PTSD until Hailey did after he upset him a few days ago. And he didn't talk about Mt. Horn the way she did either. But he didn't trust the nindroid like she did. But the conversation they just had made Zane a little more comfortable in his presence.

Also, again think back even further to when he first saw him, there was something about Samuel's weather beaten face that seemed...odd.

It was was a hint of something beneath that friendly look that really was a contradiction. You could see it in his face, you could see it in his eyes as he had watched Hailey and Ranger, who was now taking the horse off the longe line and give him a sugar cube before scratching his neck. It was there.

Then Zane realized it was a look of sadness. It wasn't exactly something he couldn't put into words, but the best way was as if something had happened long ago to him and it had been haunting him since. Or maybe it was something scarring and horrible that he just couldn't forget.

'Perhaps it associates with the event Hailey informed me about.' He thought to himself. 'It may have not only scarred him mentally and physically, but emotionally as well…"

Zane glanced at Samuel again, thinking he was asleep. So he was very surprised when he saw him with one eye open. Zane gasped with surprise.

"Whaddya starin' at?" Samuel asked, in a humorous way.

It was a very awkward moment. Zane just stood there, probably looking the most stupid he had ever looked, while Samuel was leaning against the post, waiting for an answer.

"Er-nothing." Zane said quickly. "It was nothing."

"Oh, come on." Samuel said. He straightened up. "I saw ya' starin'. Why?" He smiled. "Too pretty for ya'?" He chuckled.

Zane laughed a little himself. "It was nothing, Samuel."

"Come on, man. I saw you lookin'. Now don't lie to me."

Zane knew that he wouldn't be able to play this off. He stared at the floor, trying to think of a way to put this delicately. How was he to start this?

'Select your words carefully, Zane.' He thought to himself. 'Samuel becoming upset again like the previous evening is the last thing you need.'

"Zane, is there something wrong?" Samuel asked. He sounded worried.

Zane straightened back up. "I'm fine." He said and looked up at Samuel. "Samuel, listen to me. When I ask you this, I do not mean to offend, upset, point out anything, or downgrade you in any way shape or form."

"Alright…." Samuel said slowly, very unsure where this was going.

Zane breathed in. 'Here goes nothing.'

"I noticed scars on your face." He said tentatively. "That's what I was observing when you caught me." He paused for a moment. "Tell me right away if this seems to be an invasion of your privacy, but your scars...how did you receive those?"

"My what?" Samuel asked. "What do you mean my…" Samuel reached a hand up to his face and touched where the hidden scar which Zane noticed first was. Then there seemed to be a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

"Oh…" He said, and turned away. "That…"

Zane was now afraid he had taken this conversation too far.

"Samuel," Zane began, taking a few steps closer to the man, but ready to get back in case he decided to do something, like lashing out. "Are you alright?"

Samuel's P.O.V

It was a dark stormy day when Hailey told me. How it happened, I'm sure I'll never know.

We were both eating dinner, watching the weather forecast. When the weatherman predicted thunderstorms all week long, I immediately glanced at Hailey. Normally, she would get up and go outside, looking for the first flash of lightning and count until the thunder was heard to calculate how far it was, then come back inside and report the distance, all smiles.

Hailey had been acting slightly quirky all of a sudden one day, but I didn't think much of it at first.

But then it continued on for about a week. She started leaving earlier and coming home a little later than she normally did, seemed to avoid my eyes half the time, actually seemed to be avoiding me as a whole, and I even heard her come down to stairs once or twice in the middle of the night, for what reason is beyond me.

But I found out soon enough.

I knew something was wrong when Hailey saw the weather report and looked scared. Then the thunder set in, which made her flinch. Thunderstorms got her excited, not miserable.

And that's when I finally heeded the red flag. Something definitely wasn't right.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked. But clearly there was.

Hailey was gazing out of the window, watching the storm roll in.

She shook her head and turned back to me, not saying anything or looking at me.

'She's lying to me.' I thought, growing concerned. 'She never does.'

I put down my fork to let her know I clearly wasn't believing her. There was another rumble of thunder, shaking the whole house. I heard Juneau's frightened whine from upstairs before he ran down and ran to my room to hide under the bed.

Again as the house vibrated, Hailey winced.

"There's something you're not telling me, Hailey. Something's bothering you." I said softly but at the same time in a way to show I wasn't taking any lie for an answer. "What is it?"

I watched and waited for an answer as Hailey bit her lip , sighed, and glanced all around the house, seeming to think. But what was she thinking about?

Finally-

"Beibeis is out there." She said, nodding at the incoming storm front. "I'm worried for her."

Beibeis was Hailey's pet dove she had found as a chick on the side of a trail. The nest had fallen from the tree, and that was left of the parents was a pile of feathers scattered in the grass and a few spats of blood. I still think it's a fox that ate them.

Hailey had brought home two chicks that day. We put them in a box with a towel, did research on how to take care of them, and called a wildlife rehab center.

Unfortunately, both chicks seemed to get sick within a few hours. One of them died, and the other one was so ill by the time one of the rehabilitators came to pick the animals up, she said that it would die, but we could continue to take care of it of we wanted.

I wanted to end the poor thing's misery, but Hailey being Hailey, she was so hell-bent on keeping it alive I just couldn't help but agree with her. With a heating lamp, a box and towel, worms dug from the garden, and the Internet, we healed and raised the little chick by hand to adulthood. We were going to let it go, but it was so dependent on us that turning it loose simply wasn't an option if we didn't want it having the same fate as its parents.

So, much to Hailey's delight, we kept it as a pet, eventually being named Beibeis. How she came up with that I don't know, but what I did know was that it was love at first sight, and to this day Beibeis follows Hailey everywhere and even sleeps on her headboard. And Hailey loves that little cream-colored ball of feathers to death. And I have to admit, that bird brightens my day when my niece isn't there to.

So with Beibeis being out in a storm, maybe escaping out a window, I thought knew that Beibeis' life being at risk was really tough on her.

I didn't know what to say, really, so I cast a sympathetic glance at my niece before going back to my food-

 _ZOOM_!

I jumped slightly, startled by the noise of wingbeats and something almost crash landing on the table.

And, much to my surprise, there was none other than Beibeis sitting on the table. She didn't look wet or like she had been in a storm at all. As a matter a fact, she cocked her head at Hailey whenever she wanted to be hugged.

Hailey gaped at the bird and had the look on her face like she knew she was in trouble. Again, she lied.

'That's twice she's lied to me.' I thought sternly. 'And that's twice too many.'

Thunder roared, and Hailey flinched like she had been whipped in the back and suddenly was focused on a piece of stray corn on the table.

I sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Look into my eyes, Hailey." I said.

My niece slowly raised her head. When we met eyes, I was very surprised to see her own misted with a look of guilt and...fear?

Whatever it was, it was blocking out the light of curiosity and fierceness that was always there.

Lord, the last time I had seen that, it was years ago. It was an incident who's conversation was to save for another day.

I didn't know what Hailey was hiding, but all I did know it was something big.

"Hailey." I began. "Tell me what's going on. I know you're up to something, so don't try to hide it from me."

Hailey then seemed to give up. She took a deep breath.

"About a week ago," Hailey began. "Me and Ranger were out on a trail ride...Juneau was with us…we were near Snake River when he started acting strange…" She stopped.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Go on." I said.

Next thing I knew Hailey started pouring out details, from following a trail of silver liquid to actually finding a person hiding in a dry gulch, supposedly named Zane. She had been helping and seeing him for a week, and I had no clue about it until now.

'That explains the quirkiness.' I thought. 'But a trail of silver?' That last part didn't add up.

Hailey stopped talking, but the way she still avoided my gaze told me she still had something to say. So I pressed on.

"There's one last thing you ain't telling me." I said, slightly stern. "I can see it on your face. Spill it, Hailey. And don't you dare lie to me."

Hailey bit her lip and closed her eyes, seeming to grimace. Whatever was about to come next...it probably wasn't good. Finding an injured person and not telling me for a week was bad enough.

"He's from Ninjago." She said.

The second those words left her mouth, I was shocked. Thoroughly, absolutely shocked.

It hit me like a brick to the head. An outsider. From Ninjago. In Mt. Horn. My face lost color as I pictured the worst case scenarios.

Hordes of Skulkin, Stone Army, and Serpentine invading Mt. Horn by the thousands. Us being driven out like cattle. People getting slaughtered by the hundreds. Battles, war, and bloodshed. Foreigners coming in and destroying everything we worked to preserve and upsetting the balance between nature and civilization we had kept for centuries on end. Our beautiful place we call home, gone, and us perishing along with it.

When everything started to sink in, I became filled with anger at Hailey's ignorance.

Was she crazy?! Did she realize what she was getting herself into?! Did she read her history book?! Did she realize how much trouble she'd get herself into if the word got out?! What would happen to her? What would happen to me? Did she realize how much damage she would cause?!

The angry feeling in my chest was rising up to my throat, and I tried desperately to force it away. Anger was an emotion I had never felt in a long time, and I never wanted to feel it again, because…well...last time I was this mad...something happened that brought back bad, bad memories that threw my life into an oblivion.

But this time, it was too strong for me to hold it back.

"Hailey!" I barked, louder than I intended. I was starting to storm so fast and my blood pressure was skyrocketing so quickly that I didn't see Hailey flinch and cower away from me, because my mind was fixed on one thought: 'HOW COULD YOU?!'

"How come you didn't tell me?! Didn't you pay attention in history class?!"

I glared at Hailey, my rage mounting.

"WHY?!" I yelled. I just couldn't seem to control myself. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"

My niece didn't answer. I took a step forward.

"Well?!" I shouted.

Hailey started to stammer, but I couldn't understand a word of what she was trying to say.

"Come on!" I said again. "I don't got all day!"

Hailey muttered it again louder, but I still couldn't hear.

"Come on, now!" I snapped. "I ain't no jackrabbit!"

Then it finally came out.

"I-" Hailey started. Then she looked up at me, tears forming in her eyes.

"I was afraid you would kill him."

I was about to say something else, but I processed that and stopped dead in my tracks.

'I was afraid you would kill him.'

My mind again flooded with thoughts. Me? Kill? Why would I kill him? I wasn't a murderer. I wouldn't kill this 'Zane', or at least not at first sight. If he was a danger in any way, to me, to Mt. Horn, or most importantly, my niece, then I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

But kill him just to kill him? No. Not ever. I would never do that. It would be a senseless killing, and those had no purpose and were against my morales. Not to mention it would teach Hailey, oh, God who knows what.

Speaking of which….

I looked down and saw Hailey still shrinking back, a look of terror in her eyes.

Is this how she truly saw me? A man with no heart for any non-Mt. Horn? Did she really think I would kill an outsider on site for no reason? Did she think I would kill all outsiders if I got the chance? Was she scared of me because of it?

Just because I was in the Mountain Guard didn't mean I don't had sympathy for foreigners. I would never kill one without a good reason. Much less massacre them. I had been through a bloodbath myself, and never did I ever want to see, be in, or much less commit something like that ever again.

But Hailey didn't know that. At least not completely. She was only fourteen, and at that age I knew that some things that were very possible to happen in reality didn't seem so to a mind as young as hers. That was something that simply couldn't be helped.

Then I really noticed the look of hurt and fear in her eyes. Cowering, and very nearly on the floor, she was terrified of me.

Something about the way Hailey balked at me was so familiar. The fear, the tears, the shrinking away, all from me brought back something. Something bad. Something I regretted. Something I dreaded.

I groaned, squeezed my eyes shut and put both hands on my temples.

"No…" I muttered, shaking my head. "Nononono. Go away…please…"

But it was too late to block it out, for it was already playing in my mind.

(WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE! Skip this if want to!)

~Flashback~

"Samuel!" Heather screamed at the top of her lungs. "SAMUEL! STOP!"

But it was too late. Heather watched in horror as an enraged and glazed Samuel hoisted up her screaming and terrified son, Ash, and threw him, fueled by the whole bottle of whiskey he had just finished a few minutes before, sending the ten year old crashing into the side of the stairs.

Ash cried out in pain as he collided with the stairs and crumpled to the ground. He clutched side, whimpering in pain.

Heavy footsteps and the menacing figure of Samuel made Ash look up. Through vision blurred with tears, he saw the man, struggling to stand straight, fists clenched, and a fire of spitefulness blazing in his eyes.

"Whe I'm don with you, boy…" Samuel slurred. He raised a fist.

Ash cowered.

"MOMMY!" He screamed to Heather. "HELP ME!"

Ash watched as Heather look around, see the empty bottle of whiskey, grab it, and just before any harm could be dealt to her son, swung it at Samuel.

There was a loud crash as the bottle smashed into pieces against Samuel's head and another scream of fear from Ash as he watched him stagger and collapse to the floor, senseless.

~Flashback End~

The memory ended, and for a moment I could only bury my face into my hands, trying to regain myself. After that, I stared at my hands.

No. It wasn't happening again, was it?

I glanced at Hailey as she began to stand up. She was still scared.

Instantly I regretted my actions. I shouldn't have frightened her like that, how wrong of me. I shouldn't have never, never lashed out like I did. All Hailey did was try to help someone in need, although she hid it from me for a week. But she was afraid of what I would do then, and just looking at her, she was still now.

I felt my eyes leave their hardened state and become more gentle again. I had made a mistake, and I wanted to fix it.

I moved closer to Hailey, slower this time. Though still in fear, she didn't move away this time, much to my relief.

Getting down onto one knee, I gently took my niece into my arms and wrapped her into a bear hug. I felt her bury her face into my jacket and start crying. I leaned into her, stroking her hair, trying to soothe her.

"Ssshhhhh." I said. "It's okay. You were only trying to help. You ain't in trouble, girl."

After I had calmed her down, I followed Hailey who was on her ATV in my truck to where this 'Zane' was.

Boy, was it a sight alright. The second Hailey shone the flashlight on this person, who wasn't even a person, really, I knew it didn't take fool to tell he wasn't from these parts.

Zane was in no condition to be put in the elements any longer, so I called my two closest friends, Tony and Christopher, to help Hailey and me get him out. They arrived, and we all got the feeling that someone was watching us.

Well, one thing led to another, from me almost getting stabbed to death by a killer ghost and Hailey trying to rescue me but instead ended up with a bruised rib (or was it three?), to having to harbor this stranger in my house. Which was something I wasn't comfortable with. But it was either that or tell authorities and get involved in a huge mess.

So we kept it a secret. I was very unsure about all of it at first, having a stranger, much less from Ninjago, and much much less one that was not even human, in our house. Why did he come here? How did he get in here? How long would he be here? If he was staying here long term, how would it work out?

Well, After a few days within taking him in, I found out that Zane was on the run. Apparently he was the master of ice and a person named Morro stabbed him, whence then two of his cronies had been chasing him all up to this point. The whole "Master of Ice" part and how he got in he has yet to tell me.

But as far as staying here goes, things had actually been working out just fine. Zane lives with us now, sleeping in the spare bedroom across from mine, with his a pair of nightclothes and a collared shirt I let him wear. This was something I was at first unsure about, but Hailey is now even giving him what I call "Mt. Horn 101" so he could blend in with us until he can go home. Once the blizzards around the mountains calm down, we'll be having him get back to the North ASAP. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy his company.

In the days and weeks that followed, I got to know Zane a little better. He was basically a walking computer, and what I've seen with Juneau and Beibeis, very passive and good with animals (particularly birds), and one of the best dam cooks I've ever known. He made breakfast for us yesterday, and it was absolute heaven. Of course the biscuits weren't as good as my mother makes them, but you get my point.

Zane's also become a good friend with my niece. Just yesterday she had taken him to the stables to expand his horizons. He follows her around, always asking questions. I knew they were becoming friends before I knew anything about all this, but when I walked in two months ago to see the two of them playing on the Xbox together, I knew she was comfortable with him being here.

Me at first, on the other hand, wasn't comfortable at all. No matter how friendly he appeared to be, he was an outsider, and always would be. I was gruff and stiff with him at first. And very wary. So wary, in fact, that I kept a loaded revolver hidden in the pocket of my favorite tan hunting jacket at first all the time. But I was comfortable with him now too, so the revolver went away. I don't know if either Hailey or Zane know it, but it was something they don't need to now.

Today Hailey made the announcement at breakfast saying she would work with Ranger on a longe line. Of course, like I expected, after she was done and went outside, Zane followed. Once I finished cleaning up the kitchen, I got ready for the day and went outside on the porch to watch Ranger's training session. It was a sunny day with white puffy clouds in the sky, and a cool breeze blowing. Thunderstorms were predicted for tonight.

As I expected, Zane was also watching Ranger, so I joined him. There was a little awkward silence.

"Hailey has quite a way with Ranger." Zane eventually said.

"Yup." I replied, taking a sip of a cup of cola I had. "Those two are like two peas in a pod." I cleared my throat and looked at Zane. "Y'know they were born on the same day?"

"Really?"

I nodded, and next thing I knew me and him were having a rather enjoyable conversation.

But, just like any other, we eventually ran out of stuff to talk about, so there was really nothing but awkward silence between us.

The warm sun was starting to make me feel tired, so I yawned, rested my head against the wooden support, and closed my eyes. I wasn't trying to fall asleep, just trying to rest my eyes a little bit.

After about a minute, I felt somebody was staring at me, so I opened an eye out of curiosity.

Needless to say, I was very surprised to see Zane staring at me as he appeared of me catching him, although I didn't show it.

And I don't mean to sound mean, but the look on Zane's face was absolutely priceless!

Whaddya starin' at?" I asked, laughing slightly at Zane's expression.

It was a little awkward, Zane just standing there, looking a little stupid (again, not trying to sound mean!), with me just leaning against the support.

"Er-nothing. It was nothing." Zane said, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"Oh, come on." I said, straightened up. "I saw ya' starin'. Why?" I smiled. "Too pretty for ya'?" I laughed a little more. Love cracking that joke. Especially when Hailey rolls her eyes at me before walking away.

"It was nothing, Samuel." Zane said, also laughing some.

"Come on, man. I saw ya' lookin'. Now don't lie to me."

I watched as Zane's happy expression melted away and became worried. He stared down at his feet. And he was like that and quiet for awhile.

"Zane," I asked, becoming a little concerned myself. "Is there something wrong?"

Well, the last part was kinda obvious. I just wanted to make sure.

I watched as Zane looked up at me. "I'm fine." He said. "Samuel, listen to me." He began. "When I ask you this, I do not mean to offend, upset, point out anything, or downgrade you in any way, shape or form."

"Alright…" I said slowly, very unsure about where this was going? Offend me? Downgrade me? How? What was wrong?

"I noticed scars on your face." Zane said. "That's what I was observing when you caught me." I waited on him as he stopped for a second.

"Tell me right away if this seems to be an invasion of your privacy, but your scars...how did you receive those?"

For a second it didn't sink in.

"My what?" I asked, momentarily confused. "What do you mean my…"

I reached a hand up to my face. I felt, beneath the coarse hair of where my sideburn joined with the rest of my facial hair, the slightly rougher and more bumpier strip of skin.

One of my…

My scars. My battle scars. Scars I got from…it.

"Oh…" Was all I could say. "That…" I turned away so Zane wouldn't see me blanching, hand still on my face. I felt my knees starting to go weak.

'Nonononono.' I thought frantically as the unmistakable feeling of a horrible memory of it coming back. The feeling of pure terror and dread. I did everything in my power to block it out.

I heard footsteps behind me.

"Samuel," it was Zane's voice. "Are you alright?"

No. I wasn't alright. I was the complete opposite of alright. I felt sick to my stomach as the horrible memory threatened to resurface just like it did the other day. Though no one could really see it, I was still settling back down from the flashback I had.

Thankfully, after a few moments, I forced the bad thought back down and tried to regain myself. But I could only do it for so long.

"I'm alright…" I said shakily. I heaved a sigh, resting my forehead in my hand. "Just had a bad headache, that's all." I lied. I didn't want Zane to worry for me.

"Are you certain?" Zane asked. "You seem distressed."

"I'm alright." I said again, a little less shaky this time. "So you wanted to know where my scars came from?"

Again, I was about to tell a big fat lie. All of it. Every single word. But again, I didn't want Zane's concern, and I didn't want him asking again.

"If it's a-" Zane said, but I was already cutting him off.

"Nonono." I said, shaking my head "It's fine. Ranch accident." I said as casually as I could, wiping some dust out of my eye. "I was walking along if stretch of barbed wire fence to survey it when my horse spooked. Tossed me off and went flying straight into the wire."

I saw Zane wince.

"Ouch." He said. "That must've been a painful accident."

"Yup." I said. Boy, it was an accident, alright. But it was something far beyond the ranch. And something more horrific than barbed wire, too.

I wasn't comfortable talking about this subject anymore, so I looked around for an excuse to go back inside, and was about to take another sip of my soda before realizing my cup was empty.

'Perfect.' I thought almost instantly.

I got up.

"Where are you going?" Zane asked.

"Need a refill." I said. "I'll be back out."

Before Zane could say anything else, I slipped through the door and closed it, and walked into the kitchen, whistling the tune to "Old Flame" by Alabama, my favorite band. It helped sometimes.

I opened up the fridge and had just grabbed the bottle of cola when it happened.

Sometimes, I feel nauseous before a flashback begins. Or maybe something reminds me of it, like the rifle. Other times it just came surging full force into my head without any warning.

Which was exactly what happened.

It came so strong and quick, I staggered back and cried out with surprise, dropped the bottle, clutching my head, and fell against the counter.

"No!" I yelled, collapsing to my knees and shaking my head. "Nonononono! Go away! GO AWAY!"

But it was too late, because, just like all the others, it started with a horrible feeling of dread seizing my throat and my peripheral vision shutting down, leaving me in total darkness.

 **Whoa, is Samuel gonna be okay?!**


	28. Chapter 28: Battle Scarred (Part II)

**Samuel's P.O.V**

~Flashback~

POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP!

Heavy gunfire. The screams of terrorized horses. Shouting from both sides. Cries of pain and death as soldier after soldier and mounts were mowed down by Calusán bullets. An occasional explosion from a hand grenade. Shrapnel flying through the air which was heavy with the smell of gunsmoke and Mt. Horn blood, so heavy it would make one vomit.

And it was hell. Pure hell.

The noise of the ambush filled my ears as I hunkered down in the cover of a snowbank trench with my childhood friend, Rolland, trying to escape the relentless gunfire. Both of our faces, caked with dirt and dried blood, were pale as the snow from terror, our hearts were racing, and we were both clutching our rifles so hard that our knuckles were white. The icy wind was nipping at our faces and chilling us to the bone.

We both looked at each other, and the look in our wide eyes said it all. We didn't think we were gonna get out of this alive.

"See if they're advancing." Rolland said shakily, gasping for breath. There were a couple pieces of shrapnel in his face and a bloody slash above one of his bloodshot eyes.

I nodded and used my rifle for support to stand up, turned and peeked over the edge.

God, I wish I hadn't.

"Oh...god…" I said, looking in shock at the sickening sight before bending over and vomiting.

Carnage. It was all carnage. Bodies lay strewn across the clearing, both men and horse alike. Some of them had their mouths open, like they were still screaming. There were so many of them, those still fighting on foot and horseback were tripping over them constantly. Pieces and chunks of flesh and gore, limbs, even heads lay between them, weapons, smoking grenade shells, along with countless bits of metal. Smoking craters where the grenades went off were all around the battlefield, turning the bodies around them into piles of flesh-slag. The snow, once pure white, was now almost thoroughly dark red with blood. The metallic smell of it was thick in the air.

I watched with horror as a Mountain Guard soldier on his horse was shot through the throat, ripping his head right off.

I stomach roiled at the realization of what I was witnessing. I was witnessing death. The death of my comrades.

'That could be me.' I thought, blanching. 'That's going to be me.'

But I didn't want to die. How would my family cope with it? What about Heather? How would Ash do without me?

I finished upchucking a second time and felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Rolland staring down at me.

"Are you alright?" He asked, obviously concerned.

I couldn't answer, so I heaved a sigh and rested my head on the side of my rifle's muzzle, breathing heavily. I squeezed my eyes shut, but the image of death and blood was burned into my mind, no matter how hard I tried to shove it away.

 _WHUMP_!

My head shot up and the sound of something landing in the snow. I looked up and saw one of my friends, Christopher, who had some bullet wounds and shrapnel, on his stomach and gripping his rifle. He glanced up at the both of us, wild-eyed with fear.

"GRENADE!" He yelled.

 _BOOM_!

I cried out and threw my hands over my head as the ground shook and sharp bits of metal rained down into the trench. I felt a few pieces sink into my arms and hands.

"Tony's wounded!" Christopher shouted, getting back up. "I'm going back for him before he gets blown apart!"

Before I could say anything, Christopher climbed out of the trench, jumped in front of a runaway horse, grabbed it's reins, climbed on and raced away into the middle of real-world-hell.

"Christopher, wait!" I yelled, popping over the edge again, but it was no use.

I watched Christopher gallop across the battlefield, dodging grenade explosions and bullets, me desperately hoping that he wouldn't get hit, just like the other soldiers he went past, practically being shredded and ripped apart by the hiding Calusán.

Christopher had made it halfway across the clearing unscathed, when a small dark object was thrown from the trees right in front of his horse.

My heart leapt into my throat as I realized what it was.

"CHRISTOPHER!" I screamed.

But it was too late.

Before Christopher could realize what it was and stop, the grenade went off, and I watched with horror as the horse blew apart into chunks of blood and flesh and my friend was launched through the air and crumpled to the bloodstained snow.

Panic seized my throat.

"CHRIS!" I screamed again and started to frantically clamber out of the trench, but as I was heaving myself over the edge, a hand on my ankle stopped me.

"SAMUEL NO!"

I looked over my shoulder to see Rolland gripping my ankle, with an even more terrified look on his face.

"Let go of me!" I said. I tried yanking my foot away, but Rolland held fast and didn't take his eyes of me, which were starting to become wet.

"You can't go!" He cried. "It's suicide! You'll get shot!" I saw a tear fall.

"I don't want to witness the death of my best friend!"

"Christopher's hurt!" I yelled back. I was panicking now. "I ain't leaving any of my friends behind!" I finally yanked my foot from Rolland's grip. "I'm going for him, whether you like it or not!"

I saw Rolland heave a sigh of defeat, pick up his rifle, straighten his helmet, and climb up the side of the trench next to me.

"Them I'm going with you." He said, a meaningful look in his eye. "Whether you like it or not."

I nodded, knowing I wouldn't be able to talk him out of it. Me and him knew each other since we were both four.

"I get Christopher and bring him here." I said. "You find Tony and I'll come help you."

Rolland nodded back, and we both stared out into the gut wrenching scene before us. We knew what we were getting into. We knew what the consequences would most likely be. We both knew that one of us would loose the other.

I clutched my rifle harder than I ever had and took in a deep breath, thinking about the worst that could happen.

But I was risking it for my friends. That was all that mattered.

Together, we jumped out of the trench and started running like madmen, only hoping we wouldn't get hit by bullets or a grenade. Rolland peeled off to my left, soon lost to my vision in the smoke, while I kept running straight, where I saw Christopher fall.

As I dashed across the clearing, dodging grenades, hearing bullets whistle by, and weaving my way through the sickening scene of bodies and blood, my mind was in a rush, so much that I almost didn't notice the grenades exploding behind me. Was Christopher okay? Was he dead? How bad was he injured? Would he get blown to smitherines before I got to him? Would I get blasted apart? Would I survive this? Would any of us will?

 _BOOM_!

The explosion from a grenade behind me launched me forward and drove me into the ground. I cried out in pain my vision went black and white and as shrapnel sunk into my arm and back and a chunk of God-who-knows-what smacked my face and the blood and pieces of flesh from other bodies splattered all over me.

And for a moment I could only lay there on the ground, stunned by the blast, despite the burning pain of the shrapnel and with a ringing noise in my ears, the sound of battle muffled from my hearing.

After a few seconds, I snapped out of my dazed state, the sound of bullets whizzing past my head bringing me back.

Gasping for air, I started to get up when blood dropped into my eye.

I grunted and reached an arm to wipe it away, but then I stopped, because what I saw….there were no words.

On both arms, there was blood, shrapnel, flesh, and God who knows what else caking them.

I gaped in horror and started hyperventilating. It was the flesh and blood of my comrades. The flesh and blood of my friends. It was all over me. I felt lightheaded all of a sudden.

"Oh my god…" I said between breaths. "Oh…oh god….oh my god…"

I was so stricken, I almost didn't hear a groan of pain coming from one of the bodies beside me.

"Ah…"

I looked up, surprised. Laying in front of me was the hefty form with red blonde hair.

I gasped.

"Christopher!" I said, recovering my rifle and scrambling over to his side. "Are you alright?!"

All I got was another groan. Christopher was facing away from me, so I reached a hand and turned him into his back.

And again, when I saw him, my gut wrenched and all I could do was stare, my mouth hanging open.

Several bullet wounds gaped and bled from his now-holey Mountain Guard uniform and a big hunk of twisted metal protruding from his chest, the fabric around already sopping in blood. Shrapnel bristled from his arm and all along his side. Blood poured from it and a deep gash above his eye, covering half of his face and side with a dark red. His whole suit, like mine, was covered in blood and gore. Christopher's face was contorted in pain and white as a ghost where it wasn't covered in blood, gasping for air.

For me, it was horrifying to see one of my best friends like this. I couldn't even begin to think of a word to describe what I saw. I didn't even know what to say to him at first. All I did know was that now, if not before, I had seen too much. Too much death. Too much bloodshed. Too much horrific images and injuries. Just too much of everything that I couldn't un-see.

Christopher wheezed and coughed, blood spattering his cheek.

"Oh no…" Was all I could say.

Christopher heard my voice and looked at me, his bloodshot and glassy eyes filled with terror and pain.

"Run…" He tried to say, his voice cracking. "I'm not gonna...make it…"

Then his head lolled off to the side, and I immediately thought the worst.

"Christopher, no!" I said. I took his limp head into my gloved hands and faced him at me. "Look at me. Look at me, Chris, look at me! At me!"

I was terrified for Christopher. He seemed to be dying. He said it himself. His whole body was covered in blood, most of it his own.

My stomach churned as I thought I was about to witness my friend die.

"Christopher, stay with me!" I said, begging. "You're not gonna die! You're stronger than that!"

Christopher inhaled raggedly as his eyes fluttered close, and his head started going limp.

'He's dying.' I thought, panicking. ''One of my best friends is dying.'

"Christopher NO!" I yelled, shaking him. "Wake up, man! WAKE UP!"

 _Dink_.

I didn't hear it, and I certainly didn't think it wasn't the reason that Christopher opened his eyes.

Relief flooded through me as his eyes slowly started to open again and he coughed.

I was about to say something, but then I watched as he craned his neck to see behind me, and his expression of pain turned into one of terror.

"What's wrong?" I blurted, starting to scoop him up.

He glanced up at me, fear and alarm in his eyes.

"Grenade…" He croaked.

"What?" I glanced behind my back-

I barely had time to register what was happening and throw myself over Christopher before the grenade exploded.

The flash of light. The ground quaking beneath me. The sound of the explosion almost blowing my eardrums followed by the shockwave through the air. Hot wind burned my face. I cried out in pain as shrapnel and shell fragments sunk into my backside and blood splattered all over my face. I heard Christopher also yell beneath me as more of the metal bit into his legs.

"Run, Samuel!" He yelled between gasps of pain. "You'll get blown!"

"No!" I yelled back. "I'm not letting you die!"

"If I'm not killed now, I sure ought to die in the hospital! I'm not worth saving, Samuel! GO!"

'I'm not worth saving.' Did he just say that? Did he just say he wasn't worth sacrificing for? Was my best friend, Christopher, the one who had my back all these years since the minute we joined the Mountain Guard, finally giving up?

There was no way anyone would make me abandon Christopher. He was my best friend. I couldn't let him die like this. I could never live with it. What would his family have to say?

"NO!" I screamed. "I'M NOT LEAVING YOU LIKE THIS, CHRIS!"

"GET OFF OF ME!" He roared.

"NO! I'M NOT LETTING YOU DIE!"

"YOU CAN'T SAVE EVERYBODY!"

"I CAN SAVE YOU!"

"NO YOU CAN'T!"

"YES I CAN!"

"GO! LEAVE ME BE!"

"NO!"

He grunted, and I yelled in surprise as he heaved and shoved me off of him. I landed a few feet away with a whump!

Christopher turned himself into his stomach, grunting in pain as he did so, and looked at me, determination and a fire in his eyes.

"Listen to me!" He said over the noise. "Don't be looking out for me! I can do that myself! What you need to be looking over is your family. Heather and Ash need you, Samuel! What would they do without you?! What would they do, your mom, your dad, your siblings!? What would they do when they hear that you were dead?! What would they do?! WHAT WOULD THEY DO?!"

Me. Dead. My mother and father without their only son. My sisters without their only brother. Heather and Ash living without me. My friends without me. Rolland without me.

None of it painted a pretty picture.

Thinking about it, I buried my face into my hands. I loved my family. Of course I wanted to see them again. With me being killed, they would suffer. I didn't want them to suffer.

I felt my eyes get wet and a deep sadness welling into my chest as I thought the worst.

'I promised Mom and Dad I'd make it back safely.' I thought mournfully. 'I promised Heather that before I left. I promised Ash that as I hugged him goodbye.' I promised Laura, who was carrying a girl at five months, I would make it back safely in time before the baby arrived.

What would happen if I broke all those promises?

 _Dink_!

Hearing a noise and a gasp, I looked from behind my hands-

"RUN!" Christopher screamed, his eyes filled with terror. A couple tears had started to fall.

This time I listened. I snatched up my rifle and ran away as fast as I could, looking over my shoulder, tears streaming down my face. The sight of Christopher just laying there with a grenade in front of him, looking at me with a forlorn look on his face knowing what was coming, it wrenched at my heart.

Bullets whizzing past me, I saw a snowbank and dove for cover. I put my hands over my ears and braced myself.

 _BANG_!

My hiding spot flooded with an orange light. A few pieces of metal fell next to me. The snow quivered. I flinched and looked up to the cloudy sky to see a column of smoke rising into the air.

I got up and peered over the edge of the bank. The remnants of the grenade were still smoking. The bodies that had surrounded the grenade were reduced to pieces. There was no sign of Christopher.

"CHRISTOPHER!" I screamed. "CHRIS!"

Nothing.

My knees went weak, my throat went dry, and I started to hyperventilate as I realized at what I just saw.

I had witnessed the death of one of my best friends.

'Christopher's dead.' I thought, breathing heavily. 'He's dead.' That was all I could think. That Christopher was dead. Because he was.

"CHRISTOPHER!" I wailed again in grief.

It struck me so hard, all I could do was fall to my knees, face buried in my hands, and start to cry. Christopher was gone. One of my best friends, gone. A victim to war. Just another to add to the long list of names of the dead when this is all over. The last moment we had together was one when we were fighting with each other.

I seen my whole squadron be ambushed and ripped apart in a matter of minutes. Heads getting ripped off, limbs being decapitated, some even getting blown apart completely by grenades, both alive and dead. I seen so much blood being spilled. So much blood being shed. I cried harder as those thoughts replayed in my head.

And I knew I was next. It was only a matter of time. Whether it would be by grenade or bullet, I would too be among those bodies. The end was near for me.

I wouldn't see my parents ever again. I wouldn't be there when Laura's daughter came into the world. Me and Heather wouldn't celebrate our ninth anniversary together, and I wouldn't be able to see Ash grow from a little boy to a man.

'I'm so sorry, mom…" I sobbed. "I'm so sorry, dad…"

I looked down at my trembling gloved hands, which were covered in blood. The blood of my comrades. The blood of my friends. And I was next.

"I-I let you down…" I said between sniffs, barely hearing myself over the noise of the dragging battle. "I hope you can…forgive me…"

I covered my face again, quietly crying. It was all I could do. I was in no mental and emotional condition to fight. The pain from the shrapnel was coming back, hot waves of it pulsing through me. I flinched at every grenade explosion I heard, thinking about how it was another one of my friends being blown apart. The sound of battle filled my ears and wouldn't go away. And that's how it was for awhile. It was probably several minutes, but it seemed like several hours.

And then suddenly there was a cry, a shout, and all of a sudden, the gunfire, the grenades, they all stopped.

But for a moment, so deep in all my grief, I didn't notice it.

And then-

"AUUGH!"

The cry cut through the smoky and stenched air. When I heard it, my eyes flew open and I sat up fast.

I would recognize that voice anywhere. I heard it for twenty eight years.

It was Rolland's voice.

In all my panic and grief, I had totally forgot about him.

"Rolland." I said, gasping. "He's still alive."

Quickly I got my rifle and stood up, looking to where the source of Rolland's voice came from. For a second I couldn't see him.

"Rolland!" I called. "Where are you?!"

Another cry. But it wasn't just any cry. It was a cry of fear.

"Rolland?" I called again. Something in his voice didn't seem right.

"SAMUE-"

"Akhris!" Came a harsh voice with a thick Calusán accent.

I scanned the clearing, and when I saw, I gasped and almost dropped my rifle in horror.

There was a burly Calusán soldier, dressed completely in black, AK-47 slung over his back. He was holding a Mountain Guard soldier by the throat with one hand and was holding a pistol to his head with the other.

And it wasn't just any Mountain Guard soldier.

It was Rolland.

"ROLLAND!" I screamed. I got up from the snowbank and dashed across the clearing.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins as my heart raced, my lungs pierced a sharp pain with every breath, and my legs burned. I had lost a friend to these ruthless murderers, possibly more. And that was one too many.

And I couldn't bear to lose another.

Ignoring the bullets again flying at me, I ran as fast as I could humanly go until I was about seven yards away from the Calusán soldier.

"STOP!" I yelled as I slid to a halt in front of him. I quickly aimed my rifle, instinctively at his heart.

The soldier looked at me and removed the pistol from Rolland's head.

"Not a step closer." He growled, pointing it at me. He shook Rolland. "Or he dies."

I glanced at Rolland, who was desperately clawing at the Calusán soldier's hand that was locked around his throat, gasping for air.

"Put him down." I hissed between my teeth, chest heaving. "And don't you dare hurt him."

The soldier seemed to raise an eyebrow and laugh.

"I'm afraid it just won't be that simple." He said coolly. "You see now, Mt. Horn, we were instructed to to exterminate all of you. And when I say all of you, I don't mean most of you. I mean ALL. Every single one." He looked across the clearing at all the carnage. And through the cloth cloaking his face, I could see hints of what would probably be the sickest smile that I would ever see. "And I must say, we did quite well." He looked at Rolland and me. "But the job isn't done yet." Then he looked to the treeline.

"Wahda!" He called, in a language I didn't understand. "Mushahidat 'anfusakum!"

There was rustling and crunching of snow underfoot as at least fifty Calusán soldiers, all in black robes emerged from the treeline. They began to surround the three of us, closing in a tight circle.

All over again, as I looked at the advancing soldiers, terror rose into my throat. I gripped my rifle harder. My heart started hammering in my chest. I realized there was no way we were gonna get out of this.

"I'll give you a choice." The soldier said. "Both of you will die," he paused to throw Rolland onto the ground put his foot on his back and look at me, pistol still in hand. He cocked it. "But you get to pick who goes first. Ten seconds, or I choose for you."

Ten seconds. That's all I had. That's all I had to decide who would be shot to death first.

And, as much as I hate to admit it, for a split second I was going to let Rolland go. But then I saw him, helpless and gasping for breath.

I couldn't let Rolland die. He was my closest friend. Like I said before, he was my friend since preschool. What would he think of his own friend when they said for him to die first? What would happen to the trust that had been forged from hard times and twenty eight years in each other's company? He was a brother to me in every way. But then the last thing he would see would my dead body.

I had been so absorbed in my thinking that I lost track of time.

"Time's up." The Calusán soldier said.

He bent down, grabbed Rolland's neck and hauled him up, pressing the muzzle of the pistol to his head.

"Say goodbye to your friend." He said coldly.

Rolland whimpered.

I gasped, and before anyone could stop me, I aimed for the man's heart and pulled the trigger.

No. Not my friend. Nobody kills my friend.

 _BANG_!

The man cried out in pain and staggered before collapsing to the ground, the pistol falling away from Rolland's head and the soldier's lifeless body.

I was about to sling the rifle over my back-

"SAMUEL!" Rolland screamed. "GET DOWN!"

But it was too late, because then the bullets came flying at me.

I wasn't quick enough.

I barely had time to scream. Bullets peppered me from every direction. They tore through me in every place. I felt them slicing flesh and muscle, shredding skin, ripping through organs and shattering bone in their passage. Blood started gushing and dripping from the exit wounds. The pain I felt was unlike anything else. I was literally getting ripped apart. My wounded legs gave out and I fell to the ground.

Blood started pooling in the back of my throat. My headache was slashing bright zigzags in my black splotchy vision. My heart was a sledgehammer in my bleeding chest. Every gasping breath felt like a sword to my abdomen. I tried to scream, but it came out as a strangled gurgle. I was literally choking on my own blood.

And then my hearing became muffled, my pain started to dull away, the feeling of snow and cold blood was fading.

"SAAAMUUUEL!"

And that was the last thing I heard, the screaming cry of my best friend, before my vision went black.

~Flashback End~

My eyes flew open and I gasped as the flashback ended. My heart was pounding. I was shaking. Sweat was dripping down my forehead. I felt sick to my stomach. My vision was still black. The scars that I got from the battle were burning-literally. I felt pressure on my elbows and back, like I was being pinned down. Normally I would lash out, but I was too dazed to react.

"He's back." I heard a voice say. "Back up."

The pressure vanished and I heard the shuffling of feet.

"Is Samuel alright?" Someone whispered.

"Yes." Said another. "It must've been a really bad one. Give him a second."

After a few seconds my eyesight cleared up, and for a split second I was expecting to be laying in the snow, but that passed and my vision cleared up, and I was back in the cabin, laying on the kitchen floor.

'It was just another one.' I thought to myself. 'But it felt so real….'

For a moment, all I could do was lay there, eyes closed, head on the floor, breathing heavily, trying to regain myself, because I was feeling the same sorrow and fear that I had that day.

"Uncle Sam?" It was Hailey's voice. "Are you okay?"

I opened my eyes to see two pairs of feet in front of me. I looked up and saw the worried faces of both Zane and my niece.

"W-what happened?" I asked shakily, even though I already knew the answer.

"You had another flashback." She said. "It must've been really intense. Zane and I heard you screaming and we had to pin you down."

I sighed and slowly rested my head back onto the floor.

Zane. He saw. He saw one of my flashback episodes. Did he already know I have PTSD? Or had he never seen anything like it before? What did he think of me? Did he think I was a freak? A pyschopath? It's true how PTSD is a mental disorder, but I wasn't insane. But did he think I was? How did he see me?

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder that brought me out of my thoughts, and looked up to meet the brown eyes of my niece, which were full of concern and worry.

"Do you want to sit on the couch?" She asked. "It'll be a lot better than the floor."

Slowly I nodded and tried to get up. But my quaking knees felt like rubber and I slipped back down with an oof! and groaned.

I heard Hailey gasp.

"Are you alright?!" She said, rushing over to me and taking my arm.

I heaved a shaky sigh and nodded again. I didn't have the energy to talk much.

"Here." Hailey said in a soothing way. "Let me help you."

I let Hailey and Zane carry me on their shoulders under my arms and help from the kitchen and into the living to the couch. I practically flopped onto it as my weak knees gave out and they gently slipped me off.

"Do you need anything?" Hailey asked me.

I had no energy to answer, so I just closed my eyes and sighed, still trying to catch my breath.

There was some silence before I heard them walk away. One of them went outside and the other went into the kitchen.

The sun was shining in my eyes through the window, so I covered my face with a hand and tried to calm my racing heartbeat and regain my composure. The feeling of horror and sadness still lingered.

I heard footsteps again behind me and something being set down on the table.

"Here's some ramen." Hailey's voice said. "It'll be here if you need it."

I didn't answer. I didn't feel hungry at all.

"I'll be outside…"

There was a few seconds of silence before the door opened and clicked shut, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

That flashback was the worst I had since last year. Screaming, thrashing, knocking things over, I even almost struck Hailey in the face.

I shuddered as I remembered the look shock and horror when it happened. Despite me apologizing to her, she still kept her distance from me the rest of that week. Like she was afraid of me, almost.

I sighed as I remembered that, too.

I felt so crushed to see Hailey afraid like that, and even more, it was because of me. She was cautious because she thought I could try to hurt her again. I had done enough of hurting someone else. She barely even talked to me, made eye contact with me, or was around me in general. For five days.

And I was scared. Did Hailey really think I would hurt her? Did she feel safe around me at all? Did she not think I meant what I said when I put her to bed when she's stayed up too late? Does she secretly wish at night that she could be anywhere but with me? Did she not trust me?

And the biggest question of all: When she said that she loved me, was it really true?

I covered my face with both hands. I still ask myself those questions sometimes, like I was now.

For the last one, I really hoped the answer was yes. I had been through enough suffering, I had lost enough people, and I had been alone for far too long. I spent over a year being a broken, miserable soul, thinking I would never be able to love again. And it was all because of my PTSD.

PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. And survivor's guilt, too. It really threw my life in a loop. It almost destroyed my family. It almost destroyed my life. It almost destroyed me. Literally.

So when Hailey came into my life, she literally saved me from myself. Without even realizing it, she got my life back into line. For the first time in awhile I actually felt...happy. She was, and is, my whole world, and I loved her with all my heart.

And just the thought of it scared me to death, of her telling me one day she didn't feel the same way….that she didn't trust me or have faith in me…I just don't know if I would be able to take it.

Heaving a shaky sigh, I looked down at my trembling hands, thinking about all that could happen if that day was to come.

"I love you Hailey…" I said, my eyes getting wet. "I can only hope you feel the same…"

I buried my face in my hands and quietly started crying, feeling so regretful at all the mistakes I've done.


	29. Chapter 29: Night Troubles (III)

Time skip (Later that night)

The rain began to patter on my window just as I came out of the bathroom adjoining my bedroom. I had just finished taking a shower and got dressed for bed, hoping it would help me recover from the horrible flashback I had today. I was still very shaken and still trying to pull myself back together. My scars were still pulsing with heat, but the cool water from the shower head helped with that.

I flipped the bathroom light off and went to my bed, flopping onto it with a sigh. It had been a rough day. I was more than ready for some shuteye.

"Good night, Uncle Sam." I heard a voice from upstairs say.

"Night, Hailey." I said back. I yawned. "Sweet dreams."

"Do you need anything?"

"No. But thank you for asking."

"G'night. Love you."

"Love you too."

Hailey went to her room, switching the stairs light off.

I yawned and stretched. I felt my eyelids getting heavy, so I crawled under the covers of my bed before switching off the lamp that sat on my nightstand.

Most nights, when I had a flashback, I couldn't really seem to sleep, no matter what I tried. Even sleep syrup didn't work half the time. But tonight was different. As I lay in my bed, I could feel my body go into "sleep mode" as the sound of rain falling in the rooftop and the gentle rumbles of thunder and the breeze blowing through the trees lulled me to sleep.

Or so I thought.

A few hours after I had closed my eyes, I was in a deep sleep, peacefully snoring away.

Then something, a feeling, started creeping, slowly creeping from the pit of my stomach and up to my throat until the sensation suddenly seized my throat like an iron fist. It was a feeling of horror. It was a feeling of dread.

I grunted in my sleep and turned to my other side. When I was asleep and it was happening, it wasn't as obvious as opposed to me being awake.

Then the sounds came. Explosions. Screams. Gunfire. The moans and cries of dying. The whizzing of bullets and shrapnel.

I groaned this time, my heart started to race, and I started to sweat, my breathing becoming irregular. Even though I in my conscious mind didn't realize what was happening, my brain did.

The sharp smell of partially molten and singed metal, blood, and gunsmoke began to fill my mind also.

I tossed and turned. "No…" I muttered in my sleep. "Nono…"

But as much as I would consciously not want it to, the nightmare began.

~Nightmare~

Samuel found himself standing in a snowy clearing surrounded by pines and evergreens. He was in his Mountain Guard suit and holding his rifle.

The wind howled through the treetops, making the falling snow swirl around in the icy breeze. The pines rustled. Icicles hanging from the branches rattled. There was the occasional WHUMP! of snow falling from a tree.

Samuel looked around, the cold wind stinging his eyes. All around the clearing, dead bodies, based on their uniforms Mountain Guard soldiers, were scattered, and the ground was covered in blood. The smell of gunsmoke was thick in the air.

"Samuel…"

A groan made Samuel look down. There was a body of a man with reddish blonde hair.

Samuel turned it over with his foot, and what he saw made him cry out with surprise.

It was his best friend, Christopher. His whole face was covered in dark red blood. There was a gaping hole in his chest where blood was gushing out. His eyes were open and glazed over.

Samuel backed away, gaping and horrified, when he tripped over something. Getting back up, he saw it was another body.

Tony's body.

His mouth was wrenched open and his lifeless eyes wide, as if he had died screaming. One of his bloody legs was almost in two pieces, because the knee had been blown off. His greasy black hair was matted with blood.

Samuel scrambled up, hyperventilating. He felt sick to his stomach.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Samuel saw a dark lump in the snow about five yards away. He went over to it. Another body.

It was laying facedown, so with a shaky hand, Samuel reached for his rifle and turned it into its back.

Samuel's heart skipped a beat as he blanched and gasped, trying not to throw up.

It was Rolland. There was a huge bleeding hole where his stomach was supposed to be. Dirt and blood streaked his face. Blood trickled out of his mouth. And one of his hands was gone.

Samuel's knees started to go weak as he had a hand over his chest, breathing heavily, shocked and horrified at the scene before him. His friends. They were all dead.

"Oh my god…" He muttered. "Oh my god….oh my god…"

Samuel slowly started to back at the sickening sight, when he again almost tripped over something. He looked down.

It was yet another body. But this one was different.

This one was smaller than the rest. It had long brown hair. And less bulky. It was actually really thin. This one was also dressed differently. It had on a tattered and ripped red flannel shirt and blue bootcut jeans that were splattered with blood.

But it wasn't just that. Something about it struck Samuel as familiar. Very familiar.

Samuel knelt down and lightly pushed its shoulder. When he saw the face, he screamed.

"OH GOD!" He shrieked, bolting back up.

It was Hailey's face. It mangled and was covered in red. She was surrounded by a pool of her own blood. A huge gash was ripped across her chest, where blood was spilling into the puddle, which slowly spread across the snow.

Samuel stood there, shaking, hand over his mouth, gaping, horrified at his niece's dead body.

"No…" He said, backing away. "Nonononono…this can't be happening…"

And then there was a voice. A whisper.

"Why…"

At first he wasn't sure if he had heard it. The voice was almost carried away by the wind.

But then it came again.

"Why…."

Samuel looked up.

Rolland was looking at him, hole in his stomach in full sight, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Why…" He whispered. "Why didn't you help me…"

Samuel stared in shock. He shook his head and started hyperventilating even faster, backing away.

Then he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Samuel cried out with surprise and whirled around to see Hailey standing behind him. Blood was still pouring from her gash.

"You could've saved me…" She said. "But you didn't…"

"I-I'm sorry-" he began to say, but stopped when someone grabbed his ankle. Samuel looked down and saw it was Tony.

"You didn't help me…" He said. "Why? I thought we were friends…"

Samuel gaped in horror. He tried to say something, but no words would come out.

Someone seized Samuel's wrist. He gasped and saw a dying Christopher looking up at him.

"You deserter…" He said, voice gurgling slightly from the blood seeping to the back of his throat. "I could've lived...but you ran and left me to die…."

Samuel yanked his wrist away and started to back away from the advancing bodies, who were now screaming at him.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME?!"

"I'M DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"YOU LEFT ME TO DIE!"

"YOU COWARD!"

"I-I'M SORRY!" Samuel screamed back. Tears were spilling onto his face. "I TRIED! I TRIED TO HELP YOU! I JUST COULD'NT-"

Suddenly he stopped, because there was a click and the feeling of solid cold lead being pressed into his back.

Samuel whirled around came face to face with a man. He was all dressed in black robes, face covered save for his eyes, with an AEK-971 slung over his shoulder. He was aiming a glock (pistol) at Samuel's chest.

"You could've saved your friends." He said icily. "But you didn't. They're all dead now. And it's all because of you." He glared at Samuel with piercing blue eyes.

Suddenly a few pairs of hands seized Samuel's shoulders. His knees suddenly gave out as they were kicked from behind. He cried out with surprise as he was thrown and pinned into the snow by the corpses of Rolland, Tony, Hailey, and Christopher. He struggled and kicked, but it was no use.

"And you'll be joining them."

The man in black pulled a bullet from the folds of his robes, loaded it into his clock, and pressed it into the Mountain Guard's chest.

"NO!" Samuel cried. "STOP! LET GO OF ME! PLEASE!" He thrashed against the hold of the deceased, harder this time.

"Goodbye, Samuel. Enjoy your time in hell."

With that, the Calusán soldier pulled the trigger, sending a bullet right through Samuel's heart.

~Nightmare end~

"AAAAAAAHH!"

I bolted upright, screaming. I was terrified. My heart was racing. I was clutching my chest. Sweat was pouring down my face. I was still hyperventilating. My adrenaline was a tidal wave through my body. My stomach roiled. My mind was in a rush, so much in a rush that I had no idea what was currently happening. I thought I was still in the dream. I was tense and ready to strike out at any moment.

My eyes darted around the room, which to me still looked like the clearing, looking for the soldier that had shot me or the dead bodies that were screaming at me.

I felt someone or something put a hand on my shoulder and I instantly seized up, my fight-or-flight instinct triggered, thinking it was one of the bodies.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I yelled at the top of my lungs before swinging my fist.

CLANG!

There was a cry, a loud thump, and a sharp pain through my wrist as it made solid contact with something metallic.

There was a gasp.

"ZANE!" Said a familiar voice. There was a groan. "Oh my god! Are you okay?!"

"I think my vision system has been slightly damaged…"

All of a sudden I snapped out of my semi-dream state. Then I saw what had happened, and I gasped.

Zane lay sprawled on the floor, holding a hand over one side of his face, groaning. The closet door behind him had cracks and splinters sticking out from where he must've hit his head. Hailey was next to him, keeping his head up and asking if he thought anything was broken.

But what shocked me most was the fist sized dent in his face that seemed to be right below his eye, if not right in it.

For a second I didn't know what happened. That was until I saw that my fist was still clenched and poised like I was about to strike a second time.

And then realization hit. I breathed in heavily, lowering my balled fist and staring at it, still not believing it for a second. But reality was something I couldn't avoid.

I hurt someone. I had punched Zane in the face. I was the one who gave him that dent. I was the one who knocked him off his feet and into the closet door. I possibly knocked his eye out.

All of a sudden, I felt horrible. I hurt enough people already. I ruined enough lives. I didn't want Zane to be next in my path of destruction. It was the last thing I needed.

Another groan made me look up. I saw Hailey helping Zane up off the floor, who was still covering his face.

"Here, follow me." She said to him, leading the nindroid out of my room by the arm. "Let's get some ice on that…"

And before I could say anything, they had already vanished down the hallway.

I stared after where the they disappeared, gaping, before sighing and hanging my head.

I didn't even get to apologize to Zane. He just walked out. What did Zane think of me now? Did he think I was dangerous? A threat to his personal safety? Did he feel safe around me, or did he think I would pull a gun or a knife on him without any warning at any given moment? Did he think I was starting to lose my sanity? Would he hate me for this?

I sighed again and buried my face into my hands. I had been hated enough. I had been considered a threat. Both by the two people which I loved most. And they left me.

I felt my eyes start to get wet as remembered all those nights after that day where I woke up from a nightmare, alone. There would be no one to comfort me. No one to wake me up before it got out of hand. There would be no one to tell me it was just a dream. No one to tell me everything was going to be alright. No one for me to vent and share my feelings to.

I looked up from my hands and looked around the room. It was just me in my dark bedroom. Alone.

I rested my face into my hands again quietly started crying. I couldn't help it. I thought it was happening all over again. It felt so much like the lonely nights years ago, I honestly thought it was one of those nights. The feeling…it was just...terrible.

I sat there and cried for how long I don't know.

"U-Uncle Sam? Are are okay?"

I looked up from my hands, and through my tear-blurred vision, saw Hailey standing in the doorway.

I was about to speak, but my emotions caught up with me and I dropped my face into my hands and cried harder.

I felt someone sit on the bed next to me.

"Hey." Hailey's gentle voice said. She rubbed my back. "You're gonna be okay. It was just a nightmare, that's all. It ain't real. You're gonna be just fine…"

I kept crying for a few moments more before a thought crossed my mind.

"H-Hailey?" I sniffed.

"Yes?" She asked, getting up. "Is there something wrong?"

"Can I ask you a q-question?"

"Of course you can."

I looked up at her, trying to blink the tears away.

"Wha-what do you d-do when you wake up fr-from a n-ni-nightmare?"

Hailey stopped and stood, thinking.

"Well, gee, Uncle Sam." My niece said after a few seconds. "Whenever I had a bad dream when I was younger, you were always there for me. Normally you would sing me a lullaby and then fall asleep with me or let me sleep with you." She looked at me. "You were always ready to comfort me when I needed it."

I sniffed a few times, nodding.

"Right…" I said, my voice cracking. "I remember that…"

"Hailey?"

"Hm?"

"D-do-do you…do you think…can I…" What I was about to ask of her I didn't know if she would do it, but it was something I really needed. I needed it badly.

"What is it, Uncle Sam?" I heard her say. She crouched to my eye level.

I stared at Hailey, tears still muddling my vision.

"C-can I have a hug?"

"Of course." Hailey said before taking me into her arms.

In return, I wrapped her into a bear hug, buried my face in her shoulder and just became completely unhinged. I just couldn't help it. I was still scared. I still felt rotten. I was still horribly shaken by that nightmare.

As the crying racked my whole body and tears soaked the shoulder I was sobbing in, I felt Hailey lean into me, rubbing my back and stroking my hair.

"Ssshhhh." She said soothingly. "Easy, Uncle Sam, easy. It's all gonna be okay. It's just a dream, nothing's gonna hurt you now. You're alright. I'm right here. Relax, it's just a bad dream. You're safe."

I pulled Hailey in tighter, feeling a blanket of comfort and security seem to fall over me as we sank into each other's embraces and as Hailey continued to calm me. Each second of it was so important to me, because, who knows how much longer it would be before I had to wake up alone again?

After several minutes, my sobbing subsided and I stopped trembling. My heart returned to its normal speed. My stomach no longer felt sick.

"Do you feel okay now?" Hailey asked, gently pulling away.

"A-a lot better…" I sniffed. "Hailey, listen…"

I paused to rest my hands on my niece's shoulders and gaze deep into her bright, kindly, spirited, and fiery eyes.

"Thank you so much for that." I whispered. "That was something I really needed. I feel so much better now. Thank you, Hailey."

Hailey smiled at me.

"Of course, Uncle Sam." She said. "Now, try to get some sleep while you still can." She hugged me again, kissed my cheek and ruffled my hair. "Goodnight."

I chuckled and returned the embrace. "Goodnight, my girl." I said. "I love you. With all my heart."

"Love you too, Uncle Sam." She said. "Do you need anything?"

"No." I said. "But thank you for asking." I let Hailey out of my embrace. "Now, I think you should be somewhere?"

Hailey yawned and nodded. "Uh-huh." She said. "Good night."

"Goodnight, Hailey." I said. And with that, Hailey went back upstairs to her bedroom.

I watched her go, sighing. Hailey always lightened up my day. One smile from her and it always made me feel like the luckiest man in the world.

The thunderstorm had passed while I was asleep, but the rain was still falling, a steady pattering against my window, a sound that was making me sleepy. I yawned and was about to let my head fall into my pillow when I realized I had my glasses on.

"Huh." I said quietly. "Must've been that tired…"

I took them off and saw how dirty they were. They were smudged and covered in fingerprints. I would clean them tomorrow.

Folding them up, I reached out to put them on the nightstand-

Thump!

"Ow!" I hissed quietly as I felt the bottom of a knob yank at the skin of the top of my hand.

Grumbling to myself, I found my glasses and put them back on.

I looked at the knob that had nagged me. It was one that was attached to a little drawer in the nightstand.

"Hm." I grunted. I opened it out of curiosity.

There was nothing in there, save for a little piece of cardstock.

I raised an eyebrow before taking it out of the drawer. I couldn't see it in the dark, so I switched on my lamp to see it better.

Turns out, it wasn't a piece of cardstock. It was a picture.

For a moment I didn't know what it was, but then when I did-

"Oh…" I muttered. I felt tears coming back into my eyes and a feeling of sadness rising into my chest.

It was a little five by four picture of me, Heather, and Ash at Travers lake. Ash and I had fishing poles. I was proudly holding a three foot rainbow trout with one hand while wrapping my arm around Heather's shoulders with the other. Ash was holding his first catch, a five inch bluegill. It was a beautiful sunny day when the picture was taken.

I turned it over, and saw some writing on the back, and I almost couldn't read it from the tears blurting my eyesight.

"Travers Lake, North Shore

July 17, 2004

3:08 P.M"

I felt a tear slip down my cheek as I looked at the picture, running my finger along the edge tenderly.

"Lord…" I said, on the verge of crying. "Look at that. We were all so happy then…"

Then I remembered that one day that changed everything, sending it all crashing down. All the horrible things…

I covered my face with a hand and started, again, to cry softly.

"Where…" I gasped, my voice quavering. "Where did it all go w-wrong?"

I dropped the picture and buried my face in my hands, again crying harder by the second.

It was me. All me. I drove them away, being the drunken fool I was back then. I terrorized them for years until Heather finally had enough of it.

And I thought of all the suffering and pain I went through, physically, mentally, and emotionally the year after that. I was so destroyed. I was so dispirited. I was so broken.

I started to sob, so I quickly thrust the picture back into the drawer and slammed it shut before covering my face and losing it, hot tears pouring down my face.

I was crying so hard I didn't even notice the sound of someone rushing back downstairs and through the hallway to my bedroom.

"Uncle Sam!" I again saw Hailey standing in my doorway. "Are you alright?! I was about to fall asleep when I heard you."

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I kept crying. I didn't know how I was supposed to explain all this to her. As if I could figure out a way now.

I felt someone wrap their arms around me and again I bawled into my niece's shoulder. I pulled Hailey in tight and cried harder.

'I'm so sorry, Heather..' I thought mournfully. 'I'm so sorry, Ash. This was all my fault. I'm so sorry that I threw you into the middle of my mess…I never meant to…but boy, did I.'

"It's alright, Uncle Sam." Hailey said. "It's alright. You're gonna be okay, everything's gonna be fine."

I literally sank into Hailey's embrace. My bawling eventually turned into sobbing, which then turning into crying, and that waned to just tears. I was still sniffling by the time I had stopped.

"Ha-Hailey…" I muttered, trembling.

"Yes?" She asked. I watched as she knelt down in front of me. "Oh…" She said, looking at my face. "Four Ledgends, you don't look so good…"

"I know…" I mumbled. "Listen…I don't think I'll be…able to sleep tonight…unless…"

Hailey looked at me.

"Unless what?"

I drew in a shaky breath.

"I just won't be able to sleep tonight by myself…" I began.

"I'll sleep with you if you want." Hailey offered. "You've done it with me. I should return the favor."

I gave her a feeble smile.

"T-thank you so much, Hailey." I said. "You won't know how much that helps me…"

"Anything to help you, Uncle Sam." Hailey said as she came onto the other side of the bed, rolled over and looked at me. "You always help me."

I gave her another grin, a little stronger this time. Just being around her helped my dampen spirit warm up.

"Glasses." I said, holding out a hand.

Hailey handed me her pair and I slipped mine off, putting both on the nightstand. I switched out the lamp and let the dark settle around us.

I wrapped my arms around my niece and pulled her close to me.

"Love you, Hailey." I whispered.

"Love you too." Came her reply.

I stroked her hair. "You're my whole world, y'know that?"

It was true. After the disaster with Heather and Ash, I was near the edge of the destruction of myself. But when Hailey came into my life, and even though she may not realize it, she was my salvation. She gave me a reason to wake up each morning. She gave me something to live for. She made me smile. She made me laugh. She made me happy in a way no other could. She always gave me a shoulder to cry on. Life was perfect with her in every way.

I looked down at her, wrapped in my arms, fast asleep, and I couldn't help but grin.

Hailey was a gift from above, no doubt. She was my precious treasure. I loved her with everything I had. I would do any to protect her, even if it meant laying down my life.

I felt my eyelids begin to droop, so I pulled the covers over both of us. I nuzzled closer, gently brushed some hair from her face and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Goodnight, my girl." I whispered. "I love you so much."

And with that, I let the soft rain falling on the roof and the deep even breathing of my sleeping angel lull me to a deep, peaceful sleep.


	30. Chapter 30: Horse Talk

**Hay y'all! This is a chapter written by The Night Ninja. I just tweaked it a little and uploading it. Big thanks to her.** **Guess what?** **I'm in FFA…** **I closed my farm loan…** **And after winter break…** **My lamb is coming!** **I'M SO EXCITED! SQUEEEEEE!**

Juneau's P.O.V

When I was a puppy my mother used to tell me about a prophecy where a being of ice would unite both mount Horn and Ninjago in battle by calling upon the past. She also told me that all creatures would ally themselves with him. She told me that it was her hope that one of her children would aid in the fulfillment of this prophecy.

So when I stumbled upon a trail of silver I knew it meant something. Imagine my shock when we found him. A man made of metal lying injured in a small tunnel. From what little I understand of human speech I could make out two things,this man was from ninjago and he was the master of ice. Ice,the element my kind has worshipped for centuries. My mistress had to go back to the house for something and told me to stand guard,stand guard over a veritable god of huskies. I took the mission with diligence and that's when I remembered the prophecy.

I glanced at Ranger who also knew the prophecy and I nodded. He understood and I made a mental note to tell Beibeis and I was sure Ranger would tell Gunsmoke. I could tell Zane( I managed to make that out as well)

Was badly injured and would need care.

I anxiously awaited my mistress's arrival as I sniffed the air and looked at the clouds,judging by the cirrus clouds high in the sky and the dampness in the air from the storm last night it was going to be cold tonight. I walked back into the tunnel and licked Zane's face in attempt to see if he was conscious,he wasn't.

As time went on I caught bits and pieces of Zane's story of his journey here but i could tell that he was keeping some stuff quiet. I do remember a delicious Quesadilla from one night.

Beibeis' P.O.V

There is a new person in the house,I know he's important and I can also tell he's been around a bird of prey, falcons are just gross. Anyway I'm getting off topic, my point is this guy is awesome,and after J told me about that prophecy. Honestly dogs are so weird with their worship of humans, back when I was still in my egg I heard my mother tell me of a human who could command the cold and unite worlds,who would ride a dragon and tame the falcons. Ranger and Gunsmoke seem to know it differently but whatever,dumb four legs never know anything.

And I'm off topic again, I was determined to claim this shiny person as mine (That falcon stands no chance against my cuteness) so one night I flew into his room and curled up against his neck,I am cute and I will prove it. J wanted a meeting sometime this week but whatever, I am Hailey's Kawaii Potato therefore I am the cutest one in the house so I am too sophisticated to attend a barnyard meeting (four legged creatures like discussions,but I prefer grapes).

One year Hailey and beardy guy forgot to clean up after that thing they call the Super Bowl and so I got to eat cheetos and popcorn all night, best feast ever! And once again I'm off topic, anyway Zane was just the thing for me to rest my hot feathers on, he was so cold and it felt wonderful, when he woke up my feathers made him sneeze I flew off and started preening, if I was going to make this human mine instead of that falcon's I needed to look my cutest.

I heard my name and smelled grapes so I winged down to the big flashy thing that was the surest way to get a yummy grape. During that thing they call the super bowl I kept hoping they wouldn't clean up (I love popcorn). Then one day I got in Hailey's face and kept trying to tell her about how Zane needs to be mine but she told me to get off her face. Then she snuggled me but when I saw Zane I wanted to snuggle him.

I think J and Ranger are having that meeting right now but I am a kawaii potato and I say I don't want to converse with four legged things.

Ranger's P.O.V

It had been a long day, first Hailey takes me riding then we find the master of ice foretold in an old prophecy, now Juneau wants a meeting at the pasture.

These past few weeks have been really weird, ever since I was a colt I've known about the Frozen Prophecy. Of course every species of creature except humans have heard it differently. Juneau and I have discussed it immensely whenever Hailey, or as I like calling her Girl Who Gives Me Apples, takes me riding. Now that the one of legend is now staying with us for a time, I can only hope that his arrival does not mean the eternal winter that the prophecy foretells. The awakening of the dragons will be cool, and so will the unity of all creatures. I can imagine it now,the fearsome warrior of Ice bravely charging into battle atop a winged beast born of shadow with a life of light and horses and birds and dogs following of paw or hoof below him.

Suddenly a snort from the stall next to me snapped me from my thinking.

"Hey daydreamer." A gruff voice said.

"What?" I replied.

A smoky muzzle and a tip of a black forelock peeked around the edge of my stall. That was Gunsmoke, the big grey Waler. He's a retired warhorse for the Mountain Guard. He has a couple scars on him, one on his right loin and a couple on his left cannon. Being 15, he was starting to be a little on the older side for most horses, so normally he was usually just "Eh." with everything. But he was kind at heart, and every now and then his brighter side would show through.

"That new guy," He began. "He's no doubt the one of legend, I'm just concerned about Samuel."

I flicked an ear and bobbed my head. "Why? They get along great."

Gunsmoke shook his mane. "Yes, but…two great warriors in the house both with the same mental condition, there's bound to be complications with trust between them."

"Okay, I get why you worry about beardy, anyone would. But you're being a little dramatic, don't you think?" I swished my tail.

"You mustangs are so flighty never worried about anything." Gunsmoke said. I could almost hear his eyes roll by the way he said it.

"Hey!" I snorted, rather loudly "I'm only half mustang on my father's side!" I defended.

"You are so like your rider." said Gunsmoke.

"And you're like yours." I shot back.

"Fair point. But I think you're addicted to apples" he said.

"And you aren't?" I challenged.

"I prefer oats." He said. "Apple skin tends to get stuck in my teeth."

Gunsmoke's P.O.V

I'll never forget that night when Ranger trotted into the stable and said those two fateful words.

"He's Here".

The Warrior of Cold Stone, or as my mother called him,the untier, anyways there are so many versions of that prophecy it's a bit ridiculous so when Ranger comes in mouthing off about how the great one should have come to us riding a snow leopard instead of falling into a gully after running for his life.

I realized that some versions are a bit ridiculous. Honestly didn't he know that no great hero ever comes in like a warrior and that trust must be earned. It's something I've learned during the years of carrying my master into battle when I was in the Mountain Guard. I myself am rather anxious to meet the great one, I often hear my human, Samuel, talking of him. He seems nice, a bit ignorant but nice.

 **This is a bit of a filler kind of. Night Ninja wrote it for me, as I am tight on time. I couldn't upload it earlier because I had finals to study for and visiting family. I'll be even tighter when I get my lamb (her name is going to be Willow). Who else here is in FFA?**


	31. Chapter 31: The Campfire Song Song

**Hey y'all it's me this chapter ain't got nothing to do with the story it's just a random oneshot I typed long ago and I know it's been awhile that I've done anything on here idk when I'll update maybe soon hopefully I just haven't had time maybe after may I'm not sure though and I'm sorry for all the typos I'm just really busy and I'm squeezing in time to upload this** **There's an Easter egg in here can you find it?**

"Hailey?" PIXAL said.

"Hm?" The girl looked up at PIXAL. "Yes?"

"May you play is a song on your guitar? Based on my scannings, 80% of our group's levels of sadness and anxiety are abnormally high. Perhaps a few notes from your instrument will lighten the mood?"

Hailey glanced around nervously at all the new faces. "Um…I ain't sure…"

"Yes, perhaps a piece or two will decrease our anxiety by a dramatic percent." Zane agreed, nodding his head.

"I've never heard Hailey play her gutair for me." Nya said. "I've always wondered how it sounded."

"I'm fine with it." Kai added, looking up from the campfire. "I've never even seen a guitar before."

"I've seen Jacob use a sitar in the Tournament of Elements." Gravis said. "I think their similar."

"They are." Hailey answered. "Same family."

"Come on, girl." Ronin said gruffly. "None of us are in the mood for your string picki-"

"Oh, I think it would be _lovely_ to hear you play." Misako cut Ronin off before he was finished. "I've never seen a guitar before." She looked around everyone's faces gathered around the campfire. "Or any of us for that matter."

Ronin shot Misako a look before sighing and crossing his arms.

"Come on Hailey." Cole said. "Why don't you show us?"

"Yea, show us!"

"Please?"

And suddenly everyone was talking at the same time, asking Hailey to play her guitar. She became overwhelmed by all the voices; last time she felt like this was her first Creed Competition.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on, y'all…" Hailey nervously looked around again, everyone's eyes on her. She didn't know half of anyone here! She didn't have the comfort to speak in front of them, much less play her six-string.

A gentle hand placed itself on Hailey's shoulder, and she turned around to meet the eyes of Wu.

"I understand this is a strange experience for you." He said. "But it's time you need to step out of your comfort zone. The more you're like this, the longer it will take to adjust. Plus," he added, a smile playing on the corners of his lips. "I would rather enjoy to hear what musical talent my new pupil has."

Hailey thought about this for a moment, and looked down at her guitar. He had point, and she needed to brush up on her skills a tad as well.

"Oh, alright." She said. She reached behind the log where her gutair lay and fixing it into playing position, earning a chorus of approval. "I just ain't sure what to play…"

Hailey strummed her guitar a few times to make sure it was in tune.

"Whaddaya gonna play?" Jay asked.

"Hold your horses Jay, lemme think…" Hailey wasn't sure what she was in the mood for. No particular song was going to the front of her mind. And it sure didn't help everyone was staring at her expectantly, either.

'Let's see here.' Hailey thought. 'What can I sing about?' She looked around for some inspiration, the first thing catching her eye was the crackling fire they had built. 'A campfire. A campfire song…' She saw all the faces. 'Were all gathered around a campfire…'

A few moments more of racking her brain, and a song came to mind.

"That's perfect!" Hailey said.

"What is?" Jay asked.

Hailey looked at him and Gravis (sitting next to each other) and got up.

"I'll need your help with something." She said, walking over the them. She whispered something in Jay's ear, and then in Gravis's. They both nodded.

"Great!" Hailey said. She went back to her spot next to PIXAL. "Gather 'round, yall!"

She began to strum on her guitar and tapping her foot to the tune.

"I call this one the Campfire Song Song." She said, strumming, and then began to sing.

"Lets gather around the campfire

And sing a campfire song!

Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G Song!

And if you don't think that we can sing it faster

Than you're wrong!

But it would help if you just sing along!"

"Bum-bum-buuuum…" Jay trailed off, Kai and Nya looking at him skeptically.

Hailey suddenly sprang up, dancing frantically around the fire, strumming and singing _incredibly_ fast.

"C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G Song!

C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G Song!

And if you don't think that we can sing it faster

Than you're wrong!

But it would help if you just sing along!

C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G Song!"

"Jay!" Hailey, still playing, called, who had just been shouting lyrics in the background to try and keep up.

"SONG! C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G-"

"Ronin!" Hailey called again.

Ronin just rolled his eyes.

"Good!" Hailey said anyways. She went back to singing.

"IT'LL HELP,

IT'LL HEEELP,

IF YOU JUST SING ALOOONG!"

Hailey finished by sliding on her knees like a rockstar, finishing the final riff on her guitar, raking the pick across the strings in an epic finish.

"OH YEAH!" She screamed, chucking her gutair into the trees.

But before the guitar to crash to the ground and break, Gravis used his elemental power to break its fall.

Hailey held out a hand, and the six-string came whizzing back to her, unharmed. She then faced her audience and bowed.

"Thank you!" She said, though her voice couldn't be heard over everyone's roaring laughter.


End file.
